Australia By Authority Imprint Cracked Plate?

I just purchased this one, mostly because I thought I saw something at the bottom. I don't know what would qualify to be a "cracked plate" variety, but this one has some interesting indications at the bottom.

Scott 206, ACSC 41, the 2 shilling kangaroo, redrawn die.


The suspected crack plate is evidenced by the marks below "NMEN" of Government, OF, etc.

I would normally expect a cracked plate to either add features to an area of the design (by creating a sort of unintended ink well on an engraved plate), or subtract them if a small piece of the plate cracked off and could not be inked. In either case, I would expect the feature to attached itself in some manner to the intended design.

In this example, the feature you point out does not appear to be attached, either by addition or subtraction, to the letters. If anything, they appear to be scratches where ink may have welled up during printing, or debris of some kind that transferred ink. In order to know, a number of this imprint blocks would have to be examined.

Lastly, since the anomaly appears in the selvedge, would a cracked plate, if there were one, impart any value or collector interest since the flaw would not be part of the stamp design?

Oh yes. Please see this older thread on a similar situation (though much, much more pronounced.)

https://goscf.com/t/53665

Thanks Partime, I stand corrected.

Cracked plates are normally caused by continual heavy use of the plates and, or the former printer's name being burnished (removed) which weakens the plate causing it to eventually crack under stress.

Cracked plates will add value, in many cases a few hundred dollars.