Production Anomalies
There are a number of production anomalies formally recognized in the catalogues.
The item left, for example was added to the Gibbons listing in 2008. It shows two
successive, mutually inverted, aligned, and proximate printings of the upper
sector of the visitors’ plate, from which this curious excision was performed
none too adroitly. These are positions #2 (here erect) and #4 (inverted). The
other four pairings have not been reported. Other production anomalies currently
include a back-printing and a number of tête-bêche
pairings for the early period. A back-printing and three double impressions are
recognized for the New Colors period. Other notable examples of the same are
not recognized, nor are species of different stripe altogether, such as mirror
image offsets and plate “twinnings.” Some of these items are doubtless
deserving of recognition if the others are. As to the following item, enough said. Collection
Hellrigl.
double impressions
It is good to see that listing of double-impressions have been abandoned for the early period, for it is not unexpected that bounce-strikes of varying exuberance have occured. It is difficult to say when a sufficiently non-exuberant bounce doesn’t count.
Back-Printing
And here we have a little oddity of our own: A 1a dark blue-green, heavily inked, subject #3 in the plate, with a positive printing (mostly subject #2) on the other side. The properly-centered stamp shown on the left is faintly visible through the paper, mirror-reversed of course. The obliteration with its anomalously thick and widely-spaced bars is not exactly dedicated to inspiring confidence.
Mirror-Reversed
And another—a rather vigorous offset printing of a ½a ‘red’ (subject #13 in the plate). The three postal markings conspire to give us a likely Dec 1882 dating. The pencil notation “stamp reversed” is that of Masson. We do not know what is on the other side of the stamp, if anything.
Twinnings
A ¼a connected to a partial impression from the 1a plate, inverted. Plates may not have been printed simultaneously in full. The second plate was evidently in place to provide a better platform for the sheet that was being printed upon in full. If so, the terminology “simultaneous printing” is not quite apt. What follows is Séfi & Mortimer’s presentation, and here is a ► on-site link to their discussion.
¼a inverted + ½a erect
both in State II of the plates
¼a inverted + ½a erect
both in State II of the plates
½a erect + ¼a erect
both in State II of the plates
¼a erect + ½a erect
½a erect + 1a erect
all in State II of the plates
½a (III) erect + 1a erect
1a erect + ½a (II) inverted
The example at the bottom-left of the preceding scan shows the rare State III of the ½a plate, where the plate briefly acquired an interim rivet. Twinnings are not known for the 1883 ⅛a plate, thus corroborating the notion that they were done during the Srinagar regime that predated the New Colors regime. But for the 4a pane of the composite plate, all other denominations are accounted for.
¼a erect + 1a erect
¼a erect + 2a erect
1a erect (cancelled!?)
+ 2a inverted
8a with 1a beneath sideways
Two overlapping examples
¼a erect + ½a erect (State?)