WATERMARKS

2) Abnormal

Inverted

Reversed

The rather cluttered design of the cypher based watermarks can be difficult to see at times. This no doubt accounts for the comparatively high number of watermark errors that can be found on these issues.

It should be noted that the inverted watermarks often appeared naturally in booklet panes ; the error from sheets therefore requires example(s) with sheet margin attached, or blocks larger than a booklet pane.

In extreme cases, the watermark can also be found sideways ! It would be more than a decade before sideways watermarks became available intentionally, from stamps issued from coils.

Various watermark markings can be found in the margins surrounding the printed stamps. These are typically alignment marks (crosses or lines) and text ("postage" or "revenue"). If a printing is particularly misplaced, these marginal markings can appear on the stamps themselves such as the complete word "postage" illustrated above.