Some rolls of the nondenominated (36¢) Barns postcard-rate coil carry a printing flaw in the year date in the top left margin. The "1" is missing, so the date reads 202.
It is a small thing that turns out to be interesting on three separate counts: how it happened, why it is collectable, and what it says about automated quality control.
How it was found
Edward Mann, a collector in Maryland, spotted it after buying several rolls of 100 of the four Barns coils (Scott 5550–5553) at a post office. Those four, and their counterparts printed in panes of 20 (Scott 5546–5549), were issued on 24 January.
The flaw appears on the Gambrel Roof Barn coil (Scott 5550), specifically two positions below the centre Forebay Barn coil (5552) carrying plate number B1111 — the position visible on a vertical plate-number strip of five. Each of three rolls yielded three such strips with the flawed date, while the same design elsewhere on the rolls carried a normal 2021 date.
Which is worth noting for anyone checking their own rolls: it is position-dependent. It occurs at a fixed place in the repeat, not at random, and plenty of rolls contain none at all.
What caused it
USPS Stamp Services attributed it, via a spokesman, to a problem with a blanket on press. The blanket is the rubber cylinder that transfers the image from the metal plate onto the paper — a standard part of offset printing, and one that can develop a defect affecting a specific area of a repeating image.
The more interesting half of the explanation: the parameters set on a new automated inspection system did not catch the defect. The system has since been adjusted.
The flaw ran through roughly 2 percent of the Barns coil print run — which is a large number of stamps, and precisely the kind of consistent, low-level defect an automated inspection is meant to catch and a human proofreader would have flagged on sight.
Why it is collectable
Year dates on US stamps are recent. The first to carry one was the 32¢ Florida Statehood Sesquicentennial stamp, issued 3 March 1995. A flaw in the year date appears to be the first of its kind on a US stamp.
Scott's editor-in-chief indicated it would most likely be listed as an unlettered minor variety in the 2023 edition of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Volume 1 — the decision deliberately not rushed for the specialised catalogue that was on deadline when the discovery broke.
A catalogue listing is what converts a printing defect into a collectable variety. Before the listing it is a misprint; after it, it is an item with a number.
If you have Barns coils
Check the top left margin of the Gambrel Roof Barn stamps, particularly on plate-number strips. You are looking for a three-digit year.
And if you find one, it is still ordinary postage — the flaw affects a marginal inscription, not the stamp's validity. Whether you mail it or keep it is the only decision.
Best deals on Forever stamps
This is a useful reminder that a stamp can be worth more than face for a reason that has nothing to do with its design. It is also a rare case. The overwhelming majority of modern stamps, including every Forever design, are worth exactly what they will mail — which is why buying them below face is the only sensible way to profit from them.
Where to buy
Current issues from USPS. Retired designs and rolls from a verified surplus channel such as Forever Stamp Center — see postcard-rate stamps.
The short version
A press blanket defect dropped the "1" from the year date on about 2 percent of the Barns coil run, at a fixed position on the Gambrel Roof design. A new automated inspection system missed it. Scott was expected to list it as a minor variety.
More on buying Forever stamps
- 👉 An Error on a Stamp That Was Also Issued Without Perforations
- 👉 Coil Stamps Are Perforated on Only Two Sides
- 👉 Catalogue Value Is Not the Price You Pay
USPS specialist based in Los Angeles with extensive experience in postal operations and customer service. Certified in mail management and trained at the USPS Business Mail Academy, she offers reliable guidance on Forever Stamps and practical mailing solutions.
