I find these a lot on early US issues. one side will usually be imperf with what looks like either a guide line or border for adjacent stamp. Could someone please explain to me whats going on here?
Moderator Note: Message title was modified to include country name.
That is known as a natural "straight edge" to US collectors. For many US definitives of that size during that era, the stamps were printed in (press) sheets of 400 stamps, which were then cut into 4 panes of 100 stamps each for packaging and distribution to the local post offices. More modern stamps had large gutters between the 4 panes of 100 stamps on the press sheet, which is why there would be a large selvedge on all 4 sides of the pane.
But press sheets of the era would have a guide line dividing the 4 panes to assist in cutting. That is why you see that colored line along the straight edge in your example. Therefore, your stamp came from position #2-#9 of bottom row of either the upper left or upper right pane.
You will also see this for commemorative stamps of that era that were printed with a flat plate press.
and just to complete Kim's thought, we know it's NOT position 1 or 10 of that row because it doesn't a natural straight edge at left or right, respectively.
We could call it stamp 92-99 from a top pane
interestingly, many people prefer stamps with perfs on all four sides, even though they are FAR more common than stamps 1-11, 20-1, 30-1.... 90-100.
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
...which is one of the reasons why unscrupulous individuals make fake perfs on the straight edge(s), before they try to sell the stamp, to make it appear as if perforated on all 4 sides.
Tom, nice to see a stamp from a different perspective. you're the first person who's ever responded that way to the straight edge relative rarity issue. See, every half century, I change a mind
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 18 Mar 2016 12:06:29pm
re: one imperf side? (19th Century United States)
" ... interestingly, many people prefer stamps with perfs on all four sides, even though they are FAR more common than stamps 1-11, 20-1, 30-1.... 90-100. ..."
And while we are discussing US stamps here, to collectors of the long lasting Machin series, the straight edge is often what determines stamps from different printers or printings,
Also Swedish stamps are frequently collected SEL, SER and perfed x4 (Straight Edged Left, Straight Edged Right and Perfed all around.)
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 19 Mar 2016 08:42:33am
re: one imperf side? (19th Century United States)
"...pretty soon we'll be doing P/V, V/P discussion on SAs..."
Collecting Canada would be so much less interesting without them.
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
"Tom, nice to see a stamp from a different perspective. you're the first person who's ever responded that way to the straight edge relative rarity issue. See, every half century, I change a mind"
One person influenced, 7,432,663,274 to go!
Now you have me thinking I'll have to collect all four positions! At least on my Ben Franklin stamp!
"and, yes, newer Tom, 8 positions for SEs: 4 corners and 4 sides; more if you also can collect center lines"
I like center-lines.......
There's a whole market out there to tap into.....
I understand the perforated 4 sides, nicely centered stamps when mounted individually, and the prejudice against straight edges.... well it helps buy needed stamps cheap