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Cherry Blossoms Issued March 02, 2026 - Missing Colour

 
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
1395 Posts
Posted 03/27/2026   10:52 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this topic Add BlackJag to your friends list Get a Link to this Message
My local post office has 10 of the Cherry Blossom booklets and this one was on display. It was the only one with a missing colour.

This scan shows the interior of the booklet.
.


This scan shows positions 1and 2 (top row), 3 and 4 (middle row) and 9 and 10 (bottom row).
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Positions 1 and 2 (top row) best show a missing colour as the blue colour of ink was seriously running out. Positions 3 and 4 show a lesser missing ink colour indicating that the printing was from the bottom to the top as positions 9 and 10 have the best colours.

As white, yellow and red inks are obviously in the top row stamps, the missing colour is blue and possibly black as well. Blue is part of the colours green, pink, purple and orange.

I'm one lucky guy as its doubtfull that others exist unless the following booklet has lesser and lesser colouring before they saw the problem and refilled the ink
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Valued Member
Switzerland
486 Posts
Posted 03/28/2026   07:17 am  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add drkohler to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Slightly confusing what you are trying to show.
At the bottom left of each pane, I'd assume one can see a "C" and the five colors the panes were printed with using a flowery registration mark (no green, no white, no orange). As we can all see, the colors are there. No color missing. Under a microscope, you could see how the orange and green colors are actually produced with a dot pattern of different colors (blue and yellow gets you green I'd suppose).

Was the booklet pane on display in bright daylight? If yes we could discuss fading colors.
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
1395 Posts
Posted 03/28/2026   11:15 am  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add BlackJag to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Perhaps my title is misleading as the missing colour is the result of the press needing an ink refill. All colour dots are there and the booklet has been under glass on the Post Masters' front counter in the Post Office since issue ( a total of 25 days) without direct sunlight. Thank you drkohler for your queries.
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Valued Member
Canada
113 Posts
Posted 04/06/2026   2:27 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add bk80 to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
I am also confused for the same reason that drkohler is confused. I am still not familiar with the way this booklet was displayed. When on display, were the stamps visible through the glass or were they folded inside a cover?
I am asking because I did a fair amount of testing with the influence of light on colours on Canadian stamps and it would be super rare that light would affect it this fast.
They must have been printed from bottom to top and the five colours at the bottom were printed before the ink ran out. Great of you to check all the other booklets.
Looking good.
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
1395 Posts
Posted 04/06/2026   5:52 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add BlackJag to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
It was open as the image is and was under the counter glass inside of the post office. Sunlight could never hit the counter due to the overhang outside of the location.
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
1643 Posts
Posted 04/06/2026   9:14 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add No1philatelist to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
I see blue, yellow, black and grey. So I do believe the magenta color was getting low. If done in a press sheet it may be from left to right, or vice- versa. So there may be a few others out there. Nice catch though. I went through over 100 booklets several weeks ago and found nothing like this.

Edit- as far as fading - yea probably not enough time elapsed. Even the old flourescent lamps would give off enough UV to lighten issues on the counter, but not to the extent seen here. And most are using LED lamps today, so even less.

Spelling correction
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Edited by No1philatelist - 04/06/2026 9:18 pm
Bedrock Of The Community
12589 Posts
Posted 04/07/2026   12:16 am  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add rogdcam to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
No way that "the tank was getting low". These are printed on computer controlled million dollar machines with every sensor, monitor and alarm you can think of. They weren't printing on an Epson in the back room.
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
4336 Posts
Posted 04/07/2026   01:09 am  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add Parcelpostguy to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
As mention above all ink of a particular color must be missing from a stamp to be a color missing error. Your is an under inking freak also known as ink starvation; if this pane in not light faded. Not just sunlight can cause fading.

If light faded, it is postage, if in starvation it would trade for an extra dollar or two from a specialist.
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
1643 Posts
Posted 04/07/2026   09:58 am  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add No1philatelist to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Blackjag, to settle this debate I would send this booklet into the Graves Greene Foundtion and get an expert certificate. When I look at all the other errors, freaks and oddities and "repellex errors" out there that were printed and escaped/found in the hands of individuals, and dealers are selling for large $, I would not hesitate to spend the fee. The top two are definetly missing the magenta color, which is especially noticable on the top right one.

Edit: added "repellex errors" and modified last sentance to best express what I see.
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Edited by No1philatelist - 04/07/2026 11:53 am
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