United States Possessions continued...

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THE UNIQUE STRIP OF THREE CONTAINING THREE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF THE OVERPRINT. A GREAT RARITY.

According to Canal Zone Stamps, the overprint was originally printed too far to the right, and the left vertical row did not receive an overprint. To correct the error, the printer turned the pane, intending to print just the one missing row. However, he placed the pane too far into the press, thus two rows received the inverted overprint.

There are five copies known with the double overprint (Scott 26a) and four known with the overprint reading up (Scott 26b). These were mostly contained in an irregular block of eight with four of No. 26b and three of 26a. The strip offered here was the bottom row of the block, and is unique with three different states of the overprint. One of the two singles of Scott 26a not contained in the block is offered in the following lot.

Ex Plass. Illustrated in Canal Zone Stamps on p. 79. With 1969 A.P.S. (copy) and 1993 P.F. certificates. Scott Retail as singles (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. ONLY TEN COPIES OF THIS RARE ERROR WERE PRINTED AND ONLY FIVE ARE KNOWN.

Please refer to the previous description for an explanation of the origin of this rare error. (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. ONLY THREE PAIRS OF THIS OVERPRINT VARIETY ARE RECORDED.

Illustrated in Canal Zone Stamps on p. 82. Ex Plass. Small purple Colman backstamp in sheet margin barely shows thru. With 1993 P.F. certificate. (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. THE UNIQUE VERTICAL PAIR CONTAINING ONE STAMP WITHOUT OVERPRINT. THIS IS ALSO THE FINEST OF THE THREE PAIRS RECOGNIZED AS BEING IN A PAIR WITH NORMAL STAMP.

In addition to the unique vertical pair offered here, two examples are recognized as being in horizontal pair with normal stamp. One has significant faults, including a rust mark on the face of the stamp. The other has the overprint shifted to the right so that part of "Can" of "Canal" extends onto the stamp missing the overprint, but has usually been accepted as the error variety, Scott 30a.

Ex Plass. Illustrated in Canal Zone Stamps on p. 83. With 1993 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. ONLY FOUR EXAMPLES OF THIS INVERT ARE RECORDED, AND ALL ARE USED. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF CANAL ZONE PHILATELY.

According to Canal Zone Stamps, the first copy of this error was discovered by George W. Wirth in 1932 on a 1913 postcard from which it was removed. The example offered here was the second copy, and was discovered in the 1950's. A third example was badly damaged. The clipped perforations at left on this stamp indicates that these may have come from sheet stamps used to make handmade booklets.

Ex Plass. With 1967 P.F. certificate. (Image)