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IV. Production Flaws

The causes of spontaneous flaws in postage stamps frequently arise as aconsequence of faulty materials or else as a result of errors in their manufacture. There areprinting plate errors and flaws in the materials, such as paper flaws, which are defects likeoverlapping, impurities, wrinkles, and so on. Flaws due to the printing press or theirattendant imperfections are: heavy or lightly embossed printings, slipped or doubled prints,prints on the gummed side, press offsets, fogs, blotches or foreign particles, blurred, pale,smudges, ink-blobs and dirty prints, partials, displacements and folded paper prints, unevenand missing gum. For perforated stamps there are: double and staggered perforations,missing or else extra perforations, and blind or misshapen holes.

Plate Flaws

Such flaws arise spontaneously on the printing plates, through chemical (photographicdevelopment, etching), or mechanical (build-up, wear on the plate, and so on) means. Plate flawsnot only form sheets with flaws in specific stamp positions or from specific plates, but sometimesas well only for some particular stamp positions, such as those created during a defined printingperiod (for example, stamps from the initial period or during later uses of the plate, or because ofdamage, such as worn plates).

After the production stage, three distinctive types of plate flaw occur. Primary flaws are those that have their origin in the preparatory materials and are common

to several denominations (from the original die, or from the auxiliary setup, and so on), such thatthey are evident in every plate used for those denominations.

Secondary flaws are those that have their origin in the preparatory materials for printingstamps for a single denomination (from the paste-up, or from the photographic negative, and soon), such that they are evident in every plate for that denomination.

Tertiary flaws occur later directly on the printing plate and are thus the consequence ofetching, damage, and so on.

Primary and secondary flaws usually effect the printing plate by requiring its mending or byworsening, or they may cause still more flaws; yet again, they may well completely fade away.

Plate flaws almost form stamp types. They are the basis for reductions and retouches. Theirstudy provides a means for identifying stamp positions, printing plates, printing periods, andtherefore are frequently the characteristic mark of a stamp, so help determine genuine stamps aswell.

After plate flaws, one must consider the accidental variations in the drawing of the stamp;however, these are not related to the printing plate but to the operation of the printing press andare, therefore, merely transient.

Flawed plates are disproportionate in the first four designs, whose manufacture waspervaded by the situation’s obvious urgency, for the initial pattern passed through three generationsof photographic copies – from the primary pattern to the specific pattern, and from there to thepaste-up. A lesser number of flaws are attributable to the Fifth Design because it required only twophotographic steps – the specific pattern for the 25h denomination and the auxiliary setup.

Plenty of plate flaws occur in lower denomination stamps, for every such plate printed adisproportionately larger number of stamps (by tenfold) than for stamps of higher denominations.

The double gap in the right dove’s tail was a primary flaw for the Fifth Design whichoriginated in the pattern for the 25h denomination and, therefore, is seen in every denomination

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with plates manufactured from this pattern. The full flaw is shown systematically as –– ––, rarerpartial flaws in uncorrected plates are shown systematically as + –– and –– +.

Secondary flaws, which commonly come from the negative, and therefore are seen in everyplate for that denomination, occur in stamps of almost every denomination. They identify plates bybeing distinguishing marks (as alternate flaws).

Some secondary flaws are striking. For instance, the droplet on the upper left spiral in the5h Fifth Design (position 71), the “clock” on the 10h First design (position 91), and so on.

Secondary flaws do not occur in the 1h denomination because each of its plates wasmanufactured from its own negative. However, when the initial glass negatives used are stored,they may undergo a mechanical or chemical change such that later plates reveal new flaws theyhave in common that become decisive guides for determining the sequence of new plates. Mostapparent on Plate V for the 15h – entirely inconsistently – is the appearance of the right dove’s tailas (shown systematically) + –– while the previous plates were uncorrected. A common flaw inposition 78 on Plates V and VI that never appears on Plates III and IV clearly fixes their sequence.

The preponderance of tertiary plate flaws, on the other hand, come directly from individualprinting plates. One could write a chapter of its own on the variations in the sun and rays for the firsttwo Designs where the focal motif was commonality. Most of these rays suffered repeatedzincographic handling – and they display this on the stamp by the most varied shapes (Table 35).The intensity of the etching was critical here, but differences in the amount of color and printingpressure applied often contributed to their thickness and placement as well. Although theirvariations are impossible to describe in detailed notes, they do serve however as identifying(subsidiary) flaws. These variations in the sun’s rays could not be corrected on the printing platebecause additive corrections were technically difficult. Likewise, although one might assume thatreductions could have caused these flaws, it is possible to confidently rule that out, since we maybe sure that action would not have been seriously considered during the time the printing plates forthe first four designs were created, that is, between December 1918 and January 1919. A unique,yet characteristic flaw, generally manifested by being remiss in the proper manner for milling thespaces between the stamps, resulted in the rounded corners on stamps printed from Plate II in theFifth Design 5h denomination and in stamps printed from Plate IV in the First Design 20hdenomination (Fig. 211). In the same manner, the signature MUCHA was very often deformed,sometimes even cut off. Inadequate milling of the spaces between the stamps occurred as well –it showed up as long lines or curved lines over and under the image of the stamp on Plate III of theFirst Design 5h denomination.

Most plate flaws on the Hrad…any are original; the later flaws are frequently gaps in the

Fig. 211. Round corners. Fig. 212. Damaged edge. Fig. 213. Inner damage.

1Dr. Kubát offers a footnote for this Table, but none is present in the original text. It mayhave indicated that this table was for Designs I and II – Tr.

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Table 35. Notable variations in the rays.1

Value b c d e f

3 10/I, II 32/I, 79, 91/II

52/I, 84/II

5 95/I 75/I, 67/IV

17/I, 29/III

10 many 11, 15, 25/I

20 12/I 59/II 8/I 24/II

25 35/I, 8, 51 II

30 34/II

40 88/I

100 26/I 39/I, 26/II

200 100/I, II most 69/I

400 89/I

drawings and borders of the stamp, mostly caused by stress on the edge of the plate as aconsequence of uneven application of the pressure cylinder.

They are found, by value:3h next to positions 20, 31, 51, 81, and 100 on Plate I (Fig. 212).5h I on position 3 of Plate II.5h V next to positions 90 and 100 on Plate II.

10h V next to position 20 on Plate I. 20h V on position 10 of Plate I.

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g h i k l m, n

13, 85/II 52/II

2, 27, 34, 67/ III47/IV

6, 69/III 60/I16/IV

44/I 14/III, IV

4, 13, 14, 42/III13, 14, 42, 73/IV

42/I 30/III/,IV

23, 96/II17, 23, 42, 43, 59, 87, 98/IV

99/I 98/II42/IV

10/II

4, 17/I15/II

most9/I

12, 64/I 99/I 1, 47/II

7, 91/I66, 91/II

39/II 9/I 15/I, II

25/I3, 42, 91, 93/II

66/II 60/I

28, 32, 42, 71, 72/II11/I 29/II

Printing plates are often damaged by a loose mounting nail, for instance, for the First Design20h denomination, positions 10, 20, 60, 70, 90, and 100 on Plate IV.

For the most part, particularly noticeable damage to the outer border for stamps in the 30hVa denomination are found on the inside of the plate, likely the result of moving and striking thegalvanized plate wrapped only with wire (Fig. 213). Noticeable as well is the gap in the frame forposition 61 from Plate II with an extended upper left spiral.

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Sheets of stamps from an authenticated printing period are necessary for determining theorigin of plate flaws, those which display the best colors, paper, gum, and perforations. Trial printsand essays cannot do this.

Many plate flaws were essentially un-repairable because of difficulty or the press of time,as indicated by their presence in the 1948 re-release (closed numerals, “the coffee grinder”, andmore). Perhaps as a consequence of the fact that large flaws are always easier to correct, therewas a lower expectation for the correction of these lesser flaws. One must always keep in mind thatthese flaws are part and parcel characteristics of typographic printing, and to them this fully applies:Oh, these stamps, oh those variations!

Flaws in paper are incurred, removed, and repaired during its production, when it has noconnection with the actual printing of stamps.

Printing Flaws

These flaws have a haphazard character, and because they originate as a consequenceof misadjusted or ill-inspected printing runs, such as poor handling, they result in spoilage, such asprinter’s waste. They are of interest to collectors only as documentation about stamp production.Only a small amount of these flaws were released through lapses in quality control by the printshop. Obviously, the rest only left the print shop by illegal means.

Heavily or lightly embossed printings are due to a faulty application of the pressurecylinder. In the first case the printing or color is deep, but as though smeared, the outlines in theimage are thick and the characteristic embossing is missing from the verso of the stamp. Heavy orlightly printed stamps occur in many denominations (Fig. 214).

Muddied prints are found in stamps of the lower denominations, especially the First Design3, 10, 20, and 30h, as well as the 60, 100, 200, and 300h denominations, and come from obviouslyun-removed color sediments during the rush of printing urgently needed denominations (Fig. 215).

Slipped prints, sometimes doubling the stamps outlines, come from excessive movementin or jarring of the printing press causing multiple encounters of the printed sheet with the plate.They are found most often in the edge stamps (Fig. 216). They occur seldom and are easilyoverlooked.

Double prints occur as a failure of the sliding mechanism or a re-insertion of the printedsheet into the press.

Fig. 215. Muddy print. Fig. 214. Light embossing Fig. 216. Slipped print.

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Prints on the gum are the result of inserting an inverted print sheet into the press.Offsets result after an idle press runs (without having has a printing sheet inserted) and

deposits the image from the printing plate – either fully or partially – onto the printing cylinder, suchthat afterwards another sheet absorbs the mirrored (full or partial) image from the printing plate onits verso along with the normal imprint. Offset printings are progressively lighter because the coloron the printing cylinder is not replenished.

One can discern press offsets because they are created by printing the caked-on colorfrom one sheet onto another by layering the sheets atop one another. Offset sheets can beidentified in that both prints are mutually un-aligned, while those that are press offset tend to have

Fig 217. Even and irregular double prints

Fig. 218. Printing and offset on the gummed side of the paper

Fig. 219. Full and partial press offset

fewer differences. More pronounced offsets are the result of jarred impacts on the printing sheet.Offsets in this instance take place in the spaces between the stamps on the press because theyare (as a result of pressure upon the print) spoiled and only an embossing of the image is on thepress therefore the offset image is placed in the gaps.

Nearly all denominations exist as even and irregular double prints (Fig. 217) and as printson the gum (Fig. 218), as full and partial offsets (Fig.219), and for lower denomination stamps thereare also offset sheets (Fig. 220).

Fogs and light spots of various forms and sizes are created by odd little bits, thatsomehow got on the printing plate (mostly at its edges), but without remaining there; they carryaway a deposit of color as they fall off, such that some small part of the stamp is not printed, thenslowly the place fills with color and gradually shrinks away.

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Fig. 220. Offset sheet Fig. 221. Fog

Fig. 222. “Watery” print Fig. 223. Phases of the so-called “zeppelin” Fig. 224.Transient splotchbehind the numeral.

Fogs of the most varied forms (Table 36) are discovered on stamps of most denominations(Fig. 221).

The most characteristic are the large fogs on stamps of the 120h denomination in position67 of Plate II and on the 500h in position 71 on Plate I.

Pale prints come out of a lack of ink or the over wiping of fouled ink. They are seen on theentire area of the stamp or as a partly pale (watery) and uncolored area; blind prints happen onthe entire or part of a sheet because of an un-inked printing plate; they are seen in the relevantparts of the printed sheet in relief as colorless embossments of the design. Pale prints are commonon stamps of the Hrad…any issue, blind prints are only found sporadically and easily escapeattention.

White and colored splotches occur all the time; whenever a foreign particle of dust landson the plate, the pressure cylinder may press it into the plate’s depressions so that it conceals partof the image or resists the application of ink. This results in the output’s missing part of its printing,a white splotch, but afterwards, with further printing, the particle is painted over and in place of thiswhite splotch a colored splotch appears with the same shape. Colored splotches have some of thecharacteristics of white rings, in that their creation is the same, that is, that a particle travels acrossthe face of the printing plate as the pressure cylinder presses down upon the paper. When theparticle falls off, the plate repeatedly prints (because in the particle’s vacated space there isinsufficient ink) a white splotch for a short while (Table 37).

By chance, bits of thread, paper lint, and other motes get snared by the sharp edges on theplate, with the natural result that it forms a splotch on the printed sheet.

The remarkable “zeppelins” are splotches on stamps of the First Design 5h in position 27on Plate I and position 46 on Plate II, which at first were 6 x 3 mm in size; for the first part of theprinting it was a colored splotch, in the latter part it was white, and subsequently shrank until it wasgone. Some who were ignorant of its cause often misjudged its importance among plate flaws andassumed that it had been retouched (Fig. 223).

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Table 36. Fogs.Value Location Position Plate

1

in the upper left corner 72 I

in the Š 7 II

in the left decoration 59 II

3

in the right dove 1 I

in the right branch 100 I

in the leaves and towers 16 II

in the main tower 52 II

in the OŠ (especially the retouched stamp) 90 II

5 (I) in the right branch 92 II

5 (V)

in the T 80 I

in the right decoration (low) 10 IV

in the right decoration (high) 91 IV

10 (I)

over the cathedral’s dome 40 I

between the Š and T 69 I

in the A 71 I

over the value tablet 16 II

across stamps 18-29 II

across the shrub 50 II

10 (V) to the upper left of the left dove 99 II

15

in the left dove 41 I

in the left branch 91 I

in the T 2 II

in the right decoration 3 II

in the right dove 52 II

20 (V) in the T 41 II

25 (I)in the left branch 79 II

in the upper left spiral and the O of POŠTA 25 I

25 (V)

in the lower left corner 20 II

in the SL 31 III

after TA 1 IV

30 (I) to the upper right of the shrub 71 II

30 (Va)alongside the left leaves 9 I

in the lower left spiral 91 II

75 to the right of the value tablet 22 II

100 over the shrub and across the value tablet 60 II

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120 over the shrub toward the towers 67 II

500 in SKO 71

1000in the Š 10

in the upper right ring 19

Table 37. SplotchesValue Location

Colored Pos Plt. White Pos Plt

1 in the right dove 98 I

between SKO-SLO 10 II

5 (I) high over the shrub* 46 I over the shrub 46 I

nearby over the shrub* 27 II over the shrub 27 II

after the 5 61,71 I

30 (I) bottom of the oval 91 II

120 in the right leaves 6 II

to the oval’s right 9 II

300 forks over the shrub 97

400 on cathedral’s dome 6 I

over the shrub* 58 I over the shrub 58 I

oval’s lower left 36 II* Progressively disappears.

Of the white splotches that merit mention, one lengthens the value tablet on the 120h in position 9 ofplate II and the other is the forking splotch in the shrub in position 97 of the 300h (Fig. 225).

Also interesting are the colored splotches on 1h stamps from position 10 on plate II and the splotchor smear after the digit in positions 61 and 71 of the 5h I Plate I (Fig. 224). Of the three colored splotches onthe 400h the most striking is the splotch on position 58 of Plate I, which is the same as the “zeppelin” on the5h I (Fig. 226). Once comes across phantom splotches and rings in various places on nearly everydenomination (Fig. 227). A few colored flaws, especially in the spaces between the stamps, result fromdeficient cleaning of the printing plate after the previous printing run (Fig. 228).

The so-called “lightening” stamps are from several denominations. They are the imprint of threador string that has gotten onto the plate (Fig. 229).

Blank prints are caused by bits of paper that have come between the plate and the printed sheet,that go through printing and then fall away (Fig. 230).

There are a few cases of flaws due to pieces (of thread or string) falling onto or adhering to the backof the printing sheet such that the pressure cylinder later causes their outlines to appear on the printed sheet(Fig. 233).

In addition, several denomination show smudges and blurs from the printing run (Fig. 231); when theFirst Design 25h stamps were being printed, some dust worked its way into the press, causing Plate II to befilled with dots. Blurs are caused by an excess of color deposited as sediment in cavities of the printing plate;sometimes they can be seen on the print as colored rings or dots, often wandering or changing shape.

Paper defects show up primarily as foreign bits (crumbs of carbon, clay, straw, and so forth) (Fig.232). They also result from folded paper (Fig. 234), stripes (Fig. 235), or splices; they are fairly frequent in

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Fig. 225. White splotch Fig. 226. Splotch on the 400hFig. 227. Rings

in various places

Fig. 228.Offset in the spaces between the stamps frompoor cleaning of the plates

Fig. 229. Imprint of athread

Fig. 230. Blank print(color taken by the snippet of paper) Fig. 231. Smudged print

2This stamp material initially appeared in collectors’ hands quite legally. It often came from lapsed quality control, and existed incirculation as well as from ruined prints. Issue No. 1 of „eský filatelista, January 15, 1919 spoke of sheets with doubled-over corners (printing onthe gum), missing holes, and missing perforations. Later, only rarely did these defects escape print shop supervision, but waste and discardedprints did slip out of the print shop, especially items from the last three issues, and from them clippings were taken of all kinds of flaws (Fig. 238,239).

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stamps from the First Design 20h (Fig. 236).Finally, incorrectly inserting the paper printing sheets into the press causes wrinkles, folds, shifts, and tucks.Wrinkles are slightly bent paper, resulting from its rapid compression by the pressure cylinder; it appears as

gaps in the design and white margins similar to rings and colored splotches; the paper is impossible to smooth out.Folds are fan-shaped bends in the paper that upon straightening out disclose a larger unprinted area.

If by chance the fold happens before the paper is gummed, the paper within it becomes an inaccessible area impossibleto smooth out.

Shifting means a fold in the margin onto the face of the paper; the printing on the folded part ends up on thegummed side, so when it is unfolded, that part of the image on the face is missing. If there is a second fold upon the first,still another shifted print occurs.

Tucks are when the paper is folded from the face onto the verso; since the part folded under is not printed upon,when it is unfolded there is no image.

Wrinkles, folds, and shifting are often found in substantial numbers that should not have passed quality control.2

However tucks are not very frequent (Fig. 237-238).It is a smaller production flaw that escaped oversight and is foundinfrequently and in a used condition.

Spotty or missing gum are also production flaws, as are unevenly applied gum, and gum on the edges and faceof the sheet, and this sometimes occurs on the printed area.

For perforations, printing errors are doubled or staggered perforations, missing perforations and fouledperforations.

Double perforations occur from misalignment of the moving apparatus or the reinsertion of already perforatedsheets into the perforator. Double perforations are often irregular and uneven. If the two lines of perforations are closetogether, the margins may appears as though they were torn.

Along with double perforations are saw toothed and irregular perforations (Fig. 240). Rarer are doubleperforations on folded corners or folded parts of the sheet (Fig. 241).

Sometimes shifted perforations are seen as a displacement of the perforations into the sides of the stamps,leaving the margins of the sheet imperforate. Shifted perforations (Fig 242), except for comb perforations [the originalsentence says “including comb perforations” which is contradicted in the following sentence. The reader may decide –Tr.], occur frequently. Finding shifted comb perforations is far less common (Fig 243), and a reversed comb perforationis unique. Fig. 244 is a reversed comb perforation in the 13 3/4 x 13 ½ gauge, most easily noticed in the upper and lowermargins. For comb perforations of 11½, these are not known and perhaps could not be noticed in the margins.

As for the missing perforations I talk about here, that condition is only where the stamp margins are missingindividual perforations. These are the result of damage or the falling out of perforation pins. Missing perforations aretypically from the initial runs of line perforations on the 11 ½ perforating machine (Fig. 244a). Missing perforations in comb11 3/4 perforation gauge make sporadic appearances.

An entire sheet may have in the horizontal or vertical directions missing or lost perforations. These can only beconfirmed for two stamps with no perforation between them or for a stamp that includes the edge margin. A missing setof perforations in the entire horizontal or vertical line are common (Fig.245). Extended perforations, which form unprintedareas in the margins of the sheet (false “coupons”), occur only rarely (Fig. 246).

Dirty perforations are caused by blunt needles. Blind perforations are caused by the needle’s striking thepaper but not penetrating it. These perforation defects are typical for comb perforations from the 13 3/4 x 13 ½ machine(Fig. 247).

Non-production flaws merit mention as flaws which are the result of improper care of the stamps, especially withrespect to acids, exposure to the sun, and so on, all of which frequently cause major changes to the color, paper, andgum, thus leading collectors astray.

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Fig.232. Carbon fragment between thestamps.

Fig. 233. Impression of pieces of string.

Fig. 234. Large fold Fig. 235. Stripe in the left area of this group.

Fig. 236. Dirty paperin the upper right corner.

Fig. 237. Wrinkled paper.

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Fig. 238. Shifts and tucks with missing images. Flaw in imperforate 10h First designfolded with a partial image on the gummed side of the paper. Right part of the 5h Vmissing because of a fold.

Fig. 238. Defective folded sheet of the 30h Va.

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Fig. 239. Defective sheet of the 15h, front and back.

Fig. 240. Double perforations, in the same hole and side-by-side.

Fig.241. Bent perforation. Fig. 242. Shifted perforations.

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Fig. 243. Shifted comb perforation. Fig. 244. [mislabeled? Not described]

Fig. 244. Missing holes. Fig. 245. Missing row of perforations

Fig. 246. Extended perforation Fig. 247. Rough (dirty) perforations