Test Your EFO Knowledge: 2019 Issues

These stamps are from the 1959 Postage Due series. They were printed on the Cottrell presses in the same manner as precancels were applied to definitive stamps. The carmine-rose frame was printed on the intaglio section of the press and the black denominations were printed using a rubber mat in the letterpress section.

The series has many errors, some of which are shown. Some are perforation shifts, such as the two left stamps in the upper row. However, most of the errors result from the poor alignment of the rubber mat in the letterpress section. Also, the rubber mats were more likely to develop nicks, as can be seen in the example second from right in the lower row. In this case, the letter R is broken

Here are descriptions of stamps from left to right:

Upper row:

5¢ vertical perforation shift and denomination shift
5¢ vertical perforation shift and denomination shift
5¢ horizontal denomination shift on a used stamp
6¢ horizontal denomination shift
6¢ horizontal denomination shift

Lower row:

8¢ vertical denomination shift
8¢ vertical denomination shift
30¢ vertical denomination shift on a used stamp
$1 broken R on a used stamp
$1 horizontal denomination shift on a used stamp

The story featuring these stamps appeared in the July-September 2012 issue of The EFO Collector. You can read it on this site, even if you are not an EFOCC member.

November 22^nd, 2019

These stamps are from the Great Americans Issue which was released between 1980 and 1994. It is a very interesting issue to collect, because of its subjects, but also because of its many varieties, some of which are shown here. Do you know who these individuals are?

The errors on the top left (Crazy Horse) and right (Rachel Carson) stamps happened because there was a foreign object between the printing plate and the paper on which the stamps were printed. In the case of the Crazy Horse stamp, it resulted in a smudge. In the case of the Rachel Carson stamp, the foreign object, perhaps a piece of paper, fell of after printing, leaving an unprinted area.

The other errors were due to ink starvation, i.e. the printing machinery ran out of ink, and hence some areas of the stamps were lighter in color. This is also referred to a dry print.

The story featuring these stamps appeared in the January-March 2012 issue of The EFO Collector. You can read it on this site, even if you are not an EFOCC member.

September 1^st, 2019

These are two postal stationery envelopes with corner cards.

Each has two die impressions, one in the normal position, the other misplaced. All die impressions are defective. On the left envelope, one is very under-inked, the other is over-inked. On the right envelope, both are partially albino.

Postal stationery errors are nice to collect, because they are interesting, the errors can be explained by studying printing and cutting techniques. While some of them are extremely rare, many (in particular albino impressions and misprinted or miscut envelopes) are quite common and can be acquired at reasonable prices.

The story featuring these stamps appeared in the October-December 2011 issue of The EFO Collector.

June 10^th, 2019

These are from the set of Bicentennial Souvenir Sheets issued by the US Postal Service in 1976. Scott 1686 depicts the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown from a painting by American painter John Trumbull.

The perforations of the souvenir sheet on the left are shifted upward.
The perforations of the souvenir sheet on the right are slanted.
Both of these are fairly scarce, the one of the right might well be unique.