Existing comment:
Spider Press
Up until the early 1900s, many stamps were printed on small hand presses like this one.
The length and shape of the spindly arms led to the name spider press. Making a multicolored stamp on this press required several impressions. After the printer made one impression, he removed the plates, re-inked them, returned them to the press for the next impression, and re-inserted paper. This process resulted in considerable variations among stamps as well as some major -- even historic -- errors. |