Misplaced "F" Marginal Markings On Flat Press Plates

If misplaced F includes "missing F", Scott 738 (Mother's Day Imperf) plate 21204 has no F in any position. (The other 3 plates used for that stamp have the F in the normal position).

I don't know whether you have already consulted these articles, but Durland mentions the United States Specialist April 1990 p217 and June 1990 p321 regarding misplaced F plates.

Thank you for mentioning where Wallace Cleland's misplaced "F" articles can be found. Two other United States Specialist references on the subject are found in April 2016 and March 1993 issues. I believe Wallace spent some time on missing Fs as well.

I forgot to mention the page numbers to the April, 2016 (page 177) and March, 1993 (page 113) Specialist articles.

Only four plates among the hundreds of Fourth Bureau Issue plates have a marginal misplaced "F". Their application is related to the introduction of their new series of ordinary stamps.

The first three stamps released of the Fourth Bureau Issue each have misplaced "F" plates within their first set of four plates. Four plates were generally used together on a flat plate press. In each case, the misplaced "F" plate was the first plate in the foursome to be certified to be used. Studies have determined that at some point after these plates went to press, the misplaced "F" was removed from the plate and replaced with a "F" in the usual position next to the upper right plate number. Hence, two collectible "F" positions.

Apparently something was done or not done to the misplaced "F" plates that possibly required reentering the plates.

The following table provides the background information for this study. Examples of the various plate blocks follow it. I need a color scan of one of them.



Scott 563




Scott 557


Scott 570