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Article Image 1965 Definitive1s3d Imperf
Queries
Friday, October 14, 2011 by Neil Grover
Malta 1965 1s3d Imperf

This query is how many of the 1s3d Imperf stamps actually exist.

Its long been reported that only 30 pairs, 1 sheet of 60 stamps exist - but when recently swapping in my pair for a block of four I noticed there where significant differences in the colour positions. Extending my search to capture as many image examples as I could find it seems there appears to be two distinct colour differences, that being an almost minor variety of a shifted edge grey and a shifted centre blue, I have tried to justify the two co-existing on the same sheet as many oblique colour shifts can cause many seemingly unobvious variations from corner to corner.. but I am unable to justify this.

Below is the examples I have thus far collected, obviously a duplicated corner example would confirm without doubt the existence of two sheets - so if anyone owns an example of this variety and has a bottom right or top right example I'd be very pleased to know!

If anyone can provide scans of their example it would be very much appreciated - you can contact me here

Right Edge Examples :

Example 1. Slight drop of edge grey to right and down

Example 2. Edge grey misplaced left and down

Example 3. Edge grey misplaced down and slightly right (similar example 1)

Example 4. Blue misplaced left

Example 5. Edge grey misplaced left and down (similar example 2)

Left Margin Examples :

Example 6. Blue misplaced left (similar example 4)

Example 7. Near perfect colour arrangement

Top Margin Examples :

Example 8. Near perfect colour arrangement

Example 9. Blue misplaced left

Non Marginal Examples :

Example 10. Edge grey misplaced left

Example 11. Near normal colour arrangement

Looking at the two top marginal examples 8 and 9, apart from the obvious major discrepancy of colour plates its also odd to have a horizontal and vertical pair - if you consider someone cutting up an imperf sheet?.. its not out of the question that a sheet may have been cut with the top two rows (blocks of four etc) and subsequently divided differently There is also the fact that same sided margin widths appear different, of course someone could have trimmed the margins but them being such fine and straight examples it seems unlikely.. and why would someone want to do it.

My own conclusion is that at least two (possible three) sheets exist.

 



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