The map of the stamp provided below indicates where flaws are located on the sheet of 42 stamps by the nuber showing their position across the six rows of seven stamps.
If your stamp has a flaw described, then you can be assured that the given position on the printing plate and therefore on the sheet is where that stamp came from.

 

1. The stamp map.

  1. Examine your 1d (1/-) Victoria Hospital Fund Charity stamp to determine possible flaws and their location.
    Most constant flaws are in the top or bottom sections.
  2. Compare your findings with the following map (and the first table below) in regards to possible location and select the stamp number you consider to be appropriate for that location.
  3. Then look for the full details of that stamp number by clicking on the relevant number in the second table below the map.

The two recesses in the top frame are the source of many printing flaws.
The following table will assist the use of the pooled numbers shown above for the recesses.
It does not address the flaws in areas other than the two top recesses.

  Left recess Right recess
Left corner 6, 11, 20, 23, 30, 31, 36. 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 21, 23, 29, 32, 34, 38, 41.
Right corner 2, 12, 14, 34. 9, 14, 33.
Horiz. base of recess 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12.
Colour marks in recess 6, 10, 13, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27. 3, 6, 9, 10, 19, 21, 26, 33.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Position by Sheet Columns
Sheet Row 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sheet Row 2 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Sheet Row 3 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Sheet Row 4 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Sheet Row 5 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Sheet Row 6 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

 

Note that some flaws might appear on some stamps but not on others. There are two possible reasons for this:

  1. the problem you have identified could be an emerging one and a stamp being analysed came from a plate used later in the printing process.
  2. the problem is not really a flaw but a temporary issue with some dirt on the plate during the printing of some sheets.
    Stamp 13 is an example of such a problem with its "Thought Bubble".
    The problem was then probably removed by the Stamp Printer wiping the plate clean during the printing process.
    Some "flaws" also appear when too much ink has been applied by the printer or the plate had been used too long before being reinked.