The dot varieties of the mustard shade are also worth mentioning. They can occur at various positions on the sheets and are semi-constant, i.e. some of them can be found on more than one sheet at the same position, but not on all sheets. I assume these dots were caused by "perforation confetti" that got stuck to the plate for a few printing runs and then fell off again. The dots are most striking when they appear in the "3". My own sheet holds two such varieties, at positions 8 and 49
I remember once seeing another sheet with the same flaws, but it had additional flaws elsewhere. My sheet also has a misaligned perforation between the third and the fourth row.
Thanks Manfred for showing these. I will look over my stamps and see if I have any others like yours. I guess it's down to you and me to add items to the forum ?
Here are more photos to add. The 1st one is a inverted overprint, 13 dots at the bottom The 2nd one are 2 blocks of 4 with shifted red colors, two distinct colors. On the block of 4 on the right you will find that the bottom left stamp has one of those 'dots' on the '3'.
As Manfred mentioned earlier, the biggest puzzle is why 8c stamps were needed. I suspected that it is for some sort of parcel rate in multiples of 8c. But, here is a Money Order Bureau cancel, 30 March 1914, likely used within the first year of issuance (or close to a year). So maybe 8c was the money order rate in 1913-14.
Finally, regarding Die 2 (10 Pearls), here is a partial sheet that was likely used for alignment trials... Everything is shifted, and the reverse has red frames only. Not necessarily "waste", but I consider it a "practice sheet".
Regarding the 8c rate, I just found a note in the Dec. 1913 issue of The London Philatelist, vol. 22, no. 264, p. 298:
LIBERIA. — Mr. H. L. Hayman sends us the 3 c. stamp of 1897, Gibbons' Type 33, with the value obliterated with a solid five-pointed star, and with figure "8" each side. "INLAND" is also ruled out, but "POSTAGE" remains. It is required, we are told, for 1 oz. postage.
The normal rate in 1913 was 5c per half ounce. So, apparently shortly before WW2 Liberia introduced a reduced rate for heavier mail (for a few years anyway).
I too found some information in an article "The Perkins, Bacon Engraving Books" from the The London Philatelist from Oct. 1963 p. 170:
4. Three Cents Inland Postage overprinted 8 (1913) There is no information at all regarding this stamp except an entry in the Engraving Book dated 8/12/13: 'Engraving Star and 8 cents for Liberia postage stamps', and a further entry on 7/7/14: 'Engraving patch for Liberia stamp (Litho) 8 cents'.
Here is a cover to Henry Hayman dated 16 Jan 1914. Very early.
It has a 48c franking. I dismissed it as philatelic. BUT, given 15c for the single registered rate, the remaining 33c is 11 times the additional 3c rate. Thus the cover is 12 times the 1/2 oz rate, plus 10c registration.
Comments
My own sheet holds two such varieties, at positions 8
and 49
I remember once seeing another sheet with the same flaws, but it had additional flaws elsewhere. My sheet also has a misaligned perforation between the third and the fourth row.
Here is a link showing the sheet at 300 dpi: http://philib.org/free_downloads/64_mustard_CTO_sheet.jpg
Thanks Manfred for showing these. I will look over my stamps and see if I have any others like yours. I guess it's down to you and me to add items to the forum ?
I thought I would throw an image out to keep things going....
There is no information at all regarding this stamp except an entry in the Engraving Book dated 8/12/13: 'Engraving Star and 8 cents for Liberia postage stamps', and a further entry on 7/7/14: 'Engraving patch for Liberia stamp (Litho) 8 cents'.
I then assume a 2oz cover is 16c.
Or would it be 14c (5+3+3+3)
But then again, even though rates went from 8c to 5c in 1892, you still find covers franked 8c and 16c through 1895 or 1896!
It has a 48c franking. I dismissed it as philatelic. BUT, given 15c for the single registered rate, the remaining 33c is 11 times the additional 3c rate. Thus the cover is 12 times the 1/2 oz rate, plus 10c registration.
Unlikely, unless it contained coin.
Following is another cover to Hayman dated 2 weeks later (28 Jan 1914), and used 16c to pay the 15c registered rate, overpaid 1c.