Patience Rewards The Persistent (US Revenue Plate Variety)

Back in 2015 I became aware of a then unlisted large plate scratch on Scott #R33c (10-cent Certificate). Karl Lachemacher had it (and still has it, as far as I am aware), but we weren't aware of a confirming example at the time.

In order for something to be considered a "plate variety" rather than just a "printing anomaly", there has to be a confirming example showing that the variety is persistent.

A confirming example of the exact plate scratch showed up in the form of an R33a (imperforate), with PSAG certificate, in Bill Langs' inventory. While I was interested in acquiring it, the price was far from reasonable, even making offers (a normal R33a catalogues $400 in the 2024 Scott Specialized). I want to say that he had a price of $700-900 on it, which was more than I was willing to pay.

In the wake of Langs' passing I lost track of the stamp and didn't know where it ended up.

Fast forward to last week. Apfelbaum, in their latest inventory refresh, has moved away from bulk lots and has started listing U.S. and world singles, sets, and small lots, some of them some fairly big-ticket items.

As I'm browsing through individual lot images, what should appear but that exact R33a, along with its PSAG cert, in a small group lot, with the lot in its entirety priced far below what Langs wanted for just that one stamp.

While I would have been content paying $325 for just that one stamp, it came with several other nice items, which should help defray the cost nicely.

Now I just need to try and track down an R33c with the same plate crack (tool gouge actually, per the late Dick Celler, who stated that this gouge, plate position 155, is also present on the Smithsonian proof sheet).

How good is it that the journey never ends?

Great research and persistence.

That's great to find.
I have a growing batch of officials looking for confirmation copies. Sort of the reverse thing, where some have been catalog listed for decades but they aren't known.
Or were mentioned just as long ago, never listed, and haven't been seen.
Add that the writers in the 20's and 30s sometimes didn't have the stamp in hand, and just passed along descriptions that were reported.

Fun stuff.

I actually have two R33c with this plate crack/scratch. Here's the most distinct.

I would consider this a crack rather than a scratch. It seems too wide and deep to just be a scratch.

Its also a bit jagged in a few spots which is more indicative of a crack.

As I mentioned in the original post, the late Dick Celler considered this to be a tool gouge rather than a plate crack or plate scratch.

I certainly respect Dick's judgement. If he's right, and he may well be, then that's a horrible mistake by the siderographer.

That would lead one to conclude that the quality control problem at play here is one of a really bad human error on the part of the siderographer doing plate finishing most likely. This, as opposed to a quality control problem with the plate itself, due to mishandling, etc, which would cause it to crack.

Regardless, something like this is symptomatic of serious quality control problems, which I know plague the early revenues.

edit: lucky for collectors