Pressing Problems with the Plates

A cut or scratch in the transfer roller would show up as a 'white flaw' in the printing, as previously noted with the "O" Flaw. Conversely, a scratch on the printing plate would take up the ink and leave a colored mark or line on the finished stamp.

Plate 41 Marks in "NE"

Some of the steel plates used for the manufacture of the stamps seem to have been of lesser quality than usually provided. Between uses, while in storage, spots of a rust type of corrosion developed. Usually only a few areas were damaged, but some plates are known to have developed overall corrosion before being replaced at press.

Plate 70 - Corrosion Blemishes S.W. , Value and along right side.

Despite the 'hardening' of the working plates, the forces and frictions involved in the printing process slowly wore away the surface of the plate. The impressed lines became shallow, thus taking up less ink, and giving progressively weaker appearing impressions.

Plate 82	Plate 64

When only one, or at most a very few of the stamps on a plate showed wear or other faults, the plate might be re-processed. The offending subjects would be re-rocked with a special roller having blank corners. This process gives us the true 'Re-Entry' variety.
The markings are similar to a 'Fresh Entry', but the existance of copies of the stamp prior to the re-work is the difference. Some stamps, when new plates were not readily available, were 're-entered' as many as five times and can be arranged showing the progressive 'states'.
	Plate 1 - State 3

Plate 9 - State 1	Plate 9 - State 2
Click on these images for more details, or on RK (above) for its story.