Jump to content
Philosateleia

Pair of 14¢ American Indian stamps show printing variations

It has been a while since I added any variants to my 14¢ American Indian collection, but a couple of recent eBay purchases certainly fit the bill.

The first stamp is from the flat plate printing issued in 1923. The bottom arm in the “E” in “STATES” appears to be broken.

14¢ American Indian stamp with apparent broken “E” in “STATES”
14¢ American Indian stamp with apparent broken “E” in “STATES”
Detail of broken “E” in “STATES”
Detail of broken “E” in “STATES”

I can’t say that this is a plate flaw because I can imagine this variant being caused by a buildup of ink on the printing plate. Nevertheless, it caught my eye.

The second stamp is from the rotary press printing, and has what appears to be a pair of parallel diagonal scratches or gashes in the vignette to the left of Hollow Horn Bear’s face.

14¢ American Indian stamp with apparent parallel diagonal scratches or gouges
14¢ American Indian stamp with apparent parallel diagonal scratches or gouges
Detail of apparent parallel diagonal scratches or gouges
Detail of apparent parallel diagonal scratches or gouges

Admittedly, I would probably need to find a second example of this stamp as well to say it’s a constant variety, but once again, it stood out to me when I was browsing.

Published 2026-02-21 Last updated 2026-02-25

Comments

Log in or leave an anonymous comment.