14¢ American Indian cracked plate variety discovered

It has been a while since I last added a 14¢ American Indian plate flaw to my collection, so I’m very excited about my latest acquisition: a mint single of Scott 565 with what appears to be a plate crack running from the top of the latter “S” in “STATES” across the foot of the “P” in “POSTAGE,” and then down from there to touch Hollow Horn Bear’s headdress in the stamp’s vignette.

The presence of the selvage along the bottom edge of the stamp leads me to believe this stamp is from the bottom row of one of the bottom two panes of 100 from a sheet of 400 stamps; however, I have no idea what plate number was used to print this variety.

Plate scratches comprise the majority of the other American Indian plate flaws that I’ve found, so finding an example of a cracked plate—a variety not listed in Loran French’s Encyclopedia of Plate Varieties on U.S. Bureau-Printed Postage Stamps—is a real treat.

Update (2020-02-09)

I previously identified this stamp as coming from the bottom row of one of the top two panes of 100 from a sheet of 400 stamps; however, as Scott A. pointed out in an email, the stamp in that case would have a straight edge at bottom due to how the sheets of 400 were cut apart. He’s absolutely correct, and I’ve updated this post accordingly.

Published 2020-02-02 Last updated 2021-12-20