Set-Off German 1923 Air Mail Stamp - Well Defined

Sorry, but I cannot accept that this is a case of setoff occurring. There are numerous examples to be found online and each one shows an exact alignment of the design from front to back which defies the odds.

Also, if these were all cases of setoff you would think that given the intensity of the setoff inking there would be little ink left on the front which is obviously not the case.

You would also easily find examples that show a less uniform setoff as is normal. I can find no examples of that type.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/364330834709
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133711168650

I agree with rogdcam even based upon the two original disparate images.

StampH3ad can verify by simply holding the stamp up in front of a strong backlight; if the front/back align with each other it is not setoff. If the alignment is not nearly perfect, then it could well be setoff.
Don

I agree with previous two posts.

Do not forget that the ink deposited on the gum can appear in a different shade than the one on the paper.
Do not forget that the paper is placed on the base plate with a centering deviation - the perfect centering of the set-off with the drawing on the front may be not perfect.
I did not write (the translation?) that the print on the face was made with the ink left after its deposition on the base plate.

Production setoff occurs when freshly printed sheets with still wet ink are stacked on top of one another. There is no gum at that point.

@rogdcam - you're right that the set-offs are usually less uniform, it's normal because the base plate comes into contact with the paper gum and small adhesions can appear.
But I suspect that after a certain number of prints the base plate was cleaned and there is also the possibility of a perfect set-off.

With German stamps, setoff appears when a paperless print is made and the ink is deposited on the base plate.
When a paper is inserted, it is normally printed on the front and takes the ink from the base plate on the back.
These stamps are typo print and I think it is different from engraved print.

@Cupram

Engraving can mean that the printed area is engraved (intaglio, recess printing, line engraving) or the non printed area is engraved (typography, surface printing).




I think that is not completely correct.

It can occur this way, just as it can occur when printed sheets are stacked and the interleaving was forgotten. Offsets also occur on photogravure stamps that are not printed from plates but cylinders. Even since they have been printed on the web, offsets occurred. Full offsets are likely to be caused the way you described. Not all offsets are full offsets.

Looking at the stamp against a strong light source will tell if both sides coincide. If they do, the odds are stacked against it being an offset. If they do not, you might be correct that ink was deposited from the printing plate on the base plate.

Hey everyone, thank you for spending the time to contribute to the discussion.

Here is a picture of the stamp up to the light.



Here are scans for color of both sides.





Let me know if there is any additional information that you are curious about!

Thanks for the backlit pic. Definitely not setoff. Perfect alignment as with the other examples I have found.

My bad for saying it was a set-off, I'm new to collecting and I don't yet know the nuances.

Finger-tongs?

I don't have any, I started collecting a week ago! (The stamps I have are from my father's old collection)

Rogdcam, you state:


So how do you specifically differentiate between the formal offset printing technology and an accidental deposit of ink on the back of a stamp?
Why not just adopt offset and set-off?

One example of setoff is my avatar. Even comes with a Befund (certificate).