Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.

VERY FINE. THE DISCOVERY EXAMPLE -- AND STILL THE ONLY RECORDED STAMP -- SHOWING THE "CEUTS" TYPE ERROR.

Typeset stamps are by nature more prone to variation. Typesetters composing a sheet of stamps were sometimes forced to sacrifice uniformity to complete the setting. Fonts or border pieces were interchanged. Even individual characters were used incorrectly, if misread by the typesetter or deliberately substituted for used-up type. Stamps such as the Honour's "Conours" and "Bents" (4LB8c), Davis "Pennq Post" (see lots 1022-1023), Glen Haven "Gien" (71L1a, see lot 1088), Moody's "Henny Dispatch" (110L1b) and Hoyts "Lettcr" (85L1) are a few prominent examples of typographical errors among the Carrier and Local issues.

The Honour's "Ceuts" error was discovered relatively recently by J. V. Nielsen of Charleston. The error stamp was reported in Linn's, Aug. 3, 1987, although it was misdescribed as 4LB7 (Yellow paper), and the report stated, incorrectly, that the "n" in "Cents" was inverted. In fact, the stamp is on bluish paper (Scott 4LB5), and it is impossible for the character "u" to be an inverted "n" -- it must be a "u", in order for this lower-case letter to be level with the other characters. Few people today are familiar with the look and feel of cold type -- a pre-digital method of typesetting -- but lower-case characters are baselined at the bottom of the metal slug. If an "n" were inverted, it would actually print as a "u" raised above the baseline of the other letters. Therefore, the "Ceuts" can only have been made by substituting a "u" for the letter "n".

Although documented for twelve years, the "Ceuts" error still remains unlisted in the Scott Catalogue. Perhaps this offering will establish its proper place as 4LB5a.

With 1994 P.F. certificate (Image)