OP-PC Error Differences:
A check against Fakery and Forgery
| Although prepared in 1860, Plate 1 for the Three Halfpence issue wasn't actually issued until 1870. During the preparation of this plate, one lettering was mis-entered. The 3rd stamp in the 16th row was punched as "OP-PC". This mistake was not noticed in 1860, nor in 1870 when the stamp was finally issued in Rose-Red! Unfortunately, once discovered, it has become a 'celebrity item' and acquired a value beyond the other positions in the plate. Because of this status, the same lettering from Plate 3 is often used to 'forge' an example. This is done by filling in the plate numeral "3" as Plate 1 does not have a numeral. To complete the transformation, the Upper Left "C" is made into an "O". What's missed by this simple forgery is that the check letters have a different shape and position between the plates! |
| The sizes of the letters on Plate 3 are slightly larger, the loop of the "P" is much wider. All the letter positions are shifted, but in the UR corner, the position is considerably different. |
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