6c Red Orange, Perf 10 at Bottom (506a). Fresh color, light circular datestamp at right leaves most of design clearly visible, small corner crease and small crease, three short perfs not noted on certificate

VERY FINE CENTERING. ONE OF 20 RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS PERFORATION VARIETY.

At a certain point during production one of the perforating wheels became defective. In the course of repairs part of one perforation wheel was inadvertently changed from Perf 11 to Perf 10. Based on the physical evidence of surviving copies, this was the nineteenth row of pins on the wheel.

Many examples of the Perf 10 on One Side rarities show transitional perfs from 10 to 11 or from 11 to 10. This is because the out-of-gauge perforation pins would frequently cross the span of more than one stamp, depending on where the wheel contacted the sheet.

The Perf 10 on One Side varieties span both the 1917 Washington-Franklin and 1922-23 Issues. It is interesting to note that, apart from the 2c, there is no duplication of denomination between the issues. This would seem to indicate that the improperly repaired wheel was in use for only a short period of time, as there was little overlap in production of the issues. Based on dates of issue of the basic stamps, this probably occurred early in 1923.

Our census of Scott 506a, available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/506a/506a.pdf , contains 19 used copies and one unused example. Of the 19 used copies, only seven singles and two in a block have regular cancels -- the others are precancelled. Only one of the handstamp-cancelled singles (with straight edge) and the two in the block are sound.

Census No. 506a-CAN-11. With 2003 P.F. certificate

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