The repair to stamp SH of plate 54 is fairly well known; partly because the stamp is relatively common, but also due to the prominent doubling caused by the non-coincident nature of the operation.State 2 prints are immediately identified by the duplication of the lower tablet and letter squares, and prominent TRLs at both sides.
What may not have been seen by readers of this though, is a state 1 print of this stamp.
These are very rare - the example above is only the second example I have heard about.
The repair clearly was undertaken very soon after the plate going to press, and therefore is unlikely to have been necessitated by wear.
Instead some other reason must have been at play - possibly the unit was damaged somehow.
The state 2 single shown is complemented by another example in an attractive strip of four.
Adjacent stamp SI is a non-coincident fresh entry.
Both these stamps are missing from the imprimatur sheet.
To find these would really be something.
Does anyone have them or know who does?
Does anyone have another state 1?
This is the only recorded repair to this plate.
