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Modern Perforation Varieties
Eric Dyck & Cécile Gruson Many of the Guatemalan stamp issues printed at the Taller de Grabados
en Acero are known with several different perforation gauges.
This may have been due to delivery deadline problems, but more often to
the fact that stamps issued in large quantities were only perforated in batches
according to needs. Stamps kept in the vault were, at least in part, left
imperforate, probably as a precaution against theft. Imperforate stamps coming on the market would make it much
easier to prosecute the culprit(s) at the Taller.
On the other hand, the workshop did not care whether the perforation
gauges of any one type of stamp were uniform or not, as long as it could supply
the required quantities of properly perforated stamps to the postal
administration. In Guatemala-2 (G-2) and The Postage Stamps of Guatemala
1871-1999 (PSG), all the known perforation varieties at time of publication
were listed: but as the illustration above shows, new finds can still be
made. A copy of isgc1140
(Sc414) has now appeared with the same 12.4 perforation as isgc1134
(Sc412)! Are other examples of this
perforation known for this or any of the other values of this reissue? While preparing PSG, the perforation varieties listed in G-2 were revised
and most repeated, even when no actual stamp(s) were then available to confirm
the listing. These “uncertain”
varieties were marked with a () indicating that further research was needed.
One of the problems that the authors of G-2 could not foresee, is that
the Stanley Gibbons Instanta Gauge used would not be dimensionally stable
over the long term. With measurements to the nearest 1/10th of a gauge, it then appeared to be
the most accurate device. The
plastic of these yellowish gauges was affected by shrinkage, and although not
proven, this may also in time be the case for the newer transparent version,
which so far appears to measure more accurately. As a revision and update of PSG lies ahead, and taking into account that
most perforation indications prior to 1971 may be short by circa 0.1, feedback
from collectors on the non-confirmed perforation varieties would be most
welcome. Please send such
information to |
