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1916 “Error” Strips of Ten

Foolish Stamps from Africa

Liberia is again trying to mulct collectors. Since the war began, this Republic, a neutral, has put forth a great number of provisionals, such as surcharges of old issues, with the excuse that it was confronted with a stamp shortage because unable to obtain further supplies from the printers in Berlin.

Those overprints may have been legitimately issued, but Liberia has now put forth fresh surcharges which certainly were prepared for no other purpose than to make money at the expense of philately.

The new labels are the 1909 stamps with new values overprinted on some, and L.F.F. (Liberia Field Forces) on others. The reason we know that the surcharges are intentionally to make money is because there are so many "mistakes" in the overprinted words and figures.

Errors often creep in when stamps are surcharged, but the mistakes usually make the stamps rarer. In this case, taking for example the 5 cents ultramarine and black, show a picture of the Liberian gunboat "Lark," each sheet of 100 stamps contains "errors." Each stamp in the top row of ten bears the red surcharge "Two Cents" with a long red line under it. On each stamp in the second row there are two lines instead of one. The fourth row bears "Two Cts" upside down on each stamp. The eighth row shows 2 2, each figure having a short line under it. The surcharges on the other five rows are all different.

It is not possible that the printers could make so many mistakes on any one sheet of stamps, so we must regard these various overprints as deliberate ones. Hereafter philatelists will regard forthcoming Liberian stamps with suspicion.

Boy's Life - The Scout's Magazine, June 1917, p. 57

Scott #153a

1st setting

: “1” is 5½ mm above bar; “1c” is 5 mm above bar; “one cemt” in small type is 3 mm above top bar; no significant differences between settings; “o” of lower “one” under “e” of upper “one”; inverted “1c” is 3 mm from left end of bars
two varieties: with bar (normal) and without (top row of sheet only); overall width of asterisks is 18 mm; all three obliteration bars equal length; “one c one” is 5 mm above bar; two left bars are equal length

2nd setting

: “1” is 6 mm above bar; “1c” is 6 mm above bar; “one cemt” in large type is 5½ mm above top bar; no significant differences between settings; “o” of lower “one” under “n” of upper “one”; inverted “1c” is flush with left end of bars; overall width of asterisks is 20½ mm; middle bar 6 mm long; “one c one” is 3 mm above bar; upper left hand bar
is longer than lower bar

Scott #O87a

1st setting

: “1” is 5½ mm above bar; “1c” is 5 mm above bar; “one cemt” in small type is 3 mm above top bar; no significant differences between settings; “o” of lower “one” under “e” of upper “one”; inverted “1c” is 3 mm from left end of bars
two varieties: with bar (normal) and without (top row of sheet only); overall width of asterisks is 18 mm; all three obliteration bars equal length; “one c one” is 5 mm above bar; two left bars are equal length

2nd setting

: “1” is 6 mm above bar; “1c” is 6 mm above bar; “one cemt” in large type is 5½ mm above top bar; no significant differences between settings; “o” of lower “one” under “n” of upper “one”; inverted “1c” is flush with left end of bars; overall width of asterisks is 20½ mm; middle bar 6 mm long; “one c one” is 3 mm above bar; upper left hand bar
is longer than lower bar

Scott #154b/c

All types of the first and second setting are 24 mm wide, whereas all types of the third setting are 20 mm wide, using the obliterator bars as a guide.

1st setting	2nd setting		3rd setting
#154b	#154b	#154c	#154b
“Two cemts” is 2 mm above obliterator bar no significant differences between 1st and 2nd setting; “Two cents” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is 3 mm in from left side of obliterator bar “cts” of inverted “Two cts” is over left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 6 mm long “2c” is 2 mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is normal and centered over top bar, lower “2” is compressed; two left obliterator bars are equal length space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is shorter at left of “c” than at right; overall width is 21 mm left hand “2” is centered over obliterator bar; both “2”s are 1¾ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 1½ mm above obliterator bars “2cent” is 3 mm in from left side of obliterator bar	“Two cemts” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar no significant differences between 1st and 2nd setting; “Two cents” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is flush with left side of and 1¾ mm above obliterator bar “s” of inverted “Two cts” is over left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 4 mm long “2c” is 2½ mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is italic and left aligned with top bar, lower “2” is elongated; upper left obliterator bar is longer than bottom bar space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is equal on both sides of the “c”; overall width is 19 mm left hand “2” is over right side of obliterator bar; both “2”s are 3¼ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 5¼ mm above obliterator bars “2” of “2cent” is 2½ mm above and flush with left side of obliterator bar	“Two cemts” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar no significant differences between 1st and 2nd setting; “Two cents” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is flush with left side of and 1¾ mm above obliterator bar “s” of inverted “Two cts” is over left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 4 mm long “2c” is 2½ mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is italic and left aligned with top bar, lower “2” is elongated; upper left obliterator bar is longer than bottom bar space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is equal on both sides of the “c”; overall width is 19 mm left hand “2” is over right side of obliterator bar; both “2”s are 3¼ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 5¼ mm above obliterator bars “2” of “2cent” is 2½ mm above and flush with left side of obliterator bar	“Two cemts” is 3 mm above obliterator bar “Two cents” is 3 mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is flush with left side of and 2¼ mm above obliterator bar “s” of inverted “Two cts” is just right of left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 4 mm long “2c” is 3 mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is italic and centered over top bar, lower “2” is elongated; upper left obliterator bar is longer than bottom bar space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is shorter at left of “c” than at right; overall width is 18 mm both “2”s are 3¾ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 2¼ mm above obliterator bars “2” of “2cent” is 3 mm above and flush with left side of obliterator bar

Scott #O88b/c

1st setting	2nd setting	3rd setting
#O88b	#O88b	#O88c
“Two cemts” is 2 mm above obliterator bar no significant differences between 1st and 2nd setting; “Two cents” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is 3 mm in from left side of obliterator bar “cts” of inverted “Two cts” is over left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 6 mm long “2c” is 2 mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is normal and centered over top bar, lower “2” is compressed; two left obliterator bars are equal length space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is shorter at left of “c” than at right; overall width is 21 mm left hand “2” is centered over obliterator bar; both “2”s are 1¾ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 1½ mm above obliterator bars “2cent” is 3 mm in from left side of obliterator bar	“Two cemts” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar no significant differences between 1st and 2nd setting; “Two cents” is 2½ mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is flush with left side of and 1¾ mm above obliterator bar “s” of inverted “Two cts” is over left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 4 mm long “2c” is 2½ mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is italic and left aligned with top bar, lower “2” is elongated; upper left obliterator bar is longer than bottom bar space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is equal on both sides of the “c”; overall width is 19 mm left hand “2” is over right side of obliterator bar; both “2”s are 3¼ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 5¼ mm above obliterator bars “2” of “2cent” is 2½ mm above and flush with left side of obliterator bar	“Two cemts” is 3 mm above obliterator bar “Two cents” is 3 mm above obliterator bar “2cents” is flush with left side of and 2¼ mm above obliterator bar “s” of inverted “Two cts” is just right of left hand obliterator bar; obliterator bars are 4 mm long “2c” is 3 mm above oblterator bar upper “2” is italic and centered over top bar, lower “2” is elongated; upper left obliterator bar is longer than bottom bar space between “two” and “c” of “two c two” is shorter at left of “c” than at right; overall width is 18 mm both “2”s are 3¾ mm above obliterator bars “two” is 2¼ mm above obliterator bars “2” of “2cent” is 3 mm above and flush with left side of obliterator bar

Literature:

Sereda, Greg: The 1916 one cent provisional surcharges. LPS Newsletter Apr./June 1987.
Sereda, Greg: The 1916 two cent on five cent provisional surcharges. Journal of the LPS Apr./June 2011.

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1916 “Error” Strips of Ten

Scott #153a

1st setting

2nd setting

Scott #O87a

1st setting

2nd setting

Scott #154b/c

1st setting

2nd setting

3rd setting

Scott #O88b/c

1st setting

2nd setting

3rd setting

Literature: