I was going through some of my documents and came across this stamp. I'm curious if anyone knows what caused the line. I thought the stamp had been torn but no it's not damaged.... but what caused it. Any ideas?
In general, when you see straight lines going over the design on US stamps, it will either be a scratched plate or a wiping smear.
In this case, it is a scratched plate. I see what appears to be at least 2 other minor scratches, and maybe even another major scratch (or some other major stamp fault).
EFO collectors like them. Usually, it makes it more likely it will get sold. Some plate scratches, especially well-documented ones (i.e., plate position identified) may command a premium. On classic US postage, they can be useful for IDing plate positions.
I'm not familiar enough with US revenues to comment specifically on this stamp.
Scott does not list a scratched plate for R15c, but that's not surprising, as there are a myriad of cracked and scratched plates, double transfers, and other varieties that Scott omits.
It's neat, I collect them, but not majorly valuable. It likely turns a $2-3 document into a $10-15 document.
This stamp is in a receipt book that dates from 1869 - 1870. The book was used by Reuben Weidenhammer of Richmond Twp, PA, the executor of Jacob Merkel's estate (Jacob was a prosperous farmer and died January 1, 1869) to record payouts and has revenue stamps on 39 out of the 105 receipts in the book.