US #710 Possible Early "Gash On Forehead" Plate Flaw

I was just cutting a new mount for this MNH block-of-six and noticed what I thought was a piece of dust or something on the upper-left stamp.

After checking the Scott Specialized, I think it might be the plate flaw version discussed in the catalogue, although not as pronounced as their illustration.







Scott says that: "Gash on forehead variety is progressive in several degrees of severity." So, I'm thinking this one would represent the very beginning of the plate damage?

What do you think?

Al

Short answer: Yes. (Although the Scott # is 710)

Long answer: Loran French's "Encylopedia of Plate Varieties on U.S. Bureau-Printed Postage Stamps" also this as position "LR-8" of plate 20636, which would be the 8th stamp in the top row of the lower right pane and illustrates two stages of the flaw, noting its progressive nature, the first illustration nearly matching yours. And your stamp is clearly in the correct pane position. So yes, I agree, this is the Scott-listed variety. However, if you are going to chase plate varities, obtaining a copy of French's book is a necessity as Scott lists only a small fraction of what appears in the French volume. And no doubt other varieties needing confirmation copies to be discovered to differentiate them from transient inking/dirt anomolies.

I just corrected my typo in the title.

This one found ME, so I don't really want to chase these, per se, but thanks John for the great info.

I have already spent over $700 for a complete set of 2025 Scott's Catalogues - so my library budget is shot for this year! They list the value of a single stamp with the fault at $25, and a normal stamp at $2.25 in never hinged condition . I'm not interested in selling it, but I do keep a comprehensive inventory list with catalogue values. What would you expect the value of this block to be ($25 + (5 x $2.25) = $36.25, or is that too low?)?

Thanks again for your assessment,

Al