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By their very nature, a single example of a re-entry or a retouch is sufficient to establish that it is a constant variety. Plate faults, however, are an entirely different matter. Unlike deliberate attempts to improve the printed product, plate faults result from accidental damage — something the printer would have preferred to avoid. To make their study even more intriguing, such flaws may not appear until late in the plate’s working life.

I find it especially rewarding to prove that an unusual marking on a stamp is constant. Finding two identical examples is the essential first step. Several stamps show markings similar to the one illustrated here, but this is the first time I’ve found a true match. With luck, more examples will surface in time.

To see the details, click here.

The “String of Dashes” (also known as the “Row of Ants”) appears on the 3¢ Brown sheet stamps. Several dozen different positions show similar varieties, most commonly found on Marler Type 12 stamps.

These constant plate varieties have been well known and documented for many years by students of the 3¢ Brown issue. Marler owned multiple examples, and Reiche reported this variety on several occasions.

One new observation for me is the set of marks in the top margin above the left crown. On closer review, Reiche seems to have indicated these same marks in his 1987 study Canada The Admiral Flaws.

To view all examples of this variety on the site, select the “SOD” tag. For more specific results, add a dash-count search such as “# Dashes” (for example, “13 Dashes”) in quotes to the lower search field.

I believe each listing within a specific dash count represents a distinct position, though the dash counts may not always be accurate. Postmarks and plate wear often make an exact tally of the dashes difficult.

This is a small study within itself which would seem to have great potential for further research.

In the previous note, we mentioned that a second position of a 3¢ Carmine stamp, which matches the description for Reiche No. 9 had been found. Since then, a few thousand 3¢ Carmines have been inspected with some encouraging results. We now have listed four different 'hammer' (Reiche No. 9) varieties and suggest that it may be looked at as another in the fairly large group of "Mystery Marks" found on several Admirals.

Possibly the highlight find of the effort was a decent example of 129LL86, described by Marler as "a number of extra lines that may be the result of the transfer roller coming in contact with the plate." There is enough detail in the image on page 521 to confirm the position, but the actual stamp shows a lot of additional very interesting marks.

There will be more 3¢ Carmine listings shortly.

The 3¢ Carmine is one of my less appreciated Admirals, but Jonathan Woensdregt has motivated me to put some 'under the glass' more frequently. He has discovered a very interesting spin on Reiche's #9 ~ the 'hammer' flaw inside the '3' of the left numeral box. Previously reported examples were all from position LL10, showing straight edges at the top and right. Jonathan has found a very similar CPV, but on a 'perfed all around' stamp.

Simon Young has provided us with a really nice example of one of the manually created cutting guide arrows, which is composed of dots. This 1¢ Green is from position UR1, and with the upper selvedge intact, it provides us with a view of just over 50% of the arrow.

During my process of re-visiting Marler's personal collection more closely, I have found a considerable number of retouches and plate flaws, which have now been listed.

Keen observers may notice the change to the primary search page. After using this new page for the past few weeks, I believe it is ready for prime time.

There is a new, experimental search page found in the Search Options (Alt Search 2). In addition to a new page layout, an option to isolate Original from Retouched die types has been added. This option should reduce the number of objects to be considered when a search returns many items.

The Marler collection had many pages devoted to the various retouches found on the vertical lines of the four spandrels. Over the past few days, we have added about 50 of the most interesting examples.

There are numerous retouches in the lower left, which are identified as Marler Type R28, which have yet to be addressed.