Tagging-omitted error of U.S. 1981 B-rate Eagle booklet stamp discovered on first-day cover

By Charles Snee

In early January, Linn’s Stamp News learned of the discovery of a tagging-omitted error on the United States 1981 nondenominated (18¢) B-rate Eagle booklet stamp (Scott 1819).

John Musser of Michigan, an avid collector of untagged stamps for the past 22 years, contacted Linn’s via email to report that he found the new error on an Artmaster cacheted first-day cover for the stamp franked with a booklet pane of eight (Scott 1819a) that is missing the tab at left.

Without the tab, the eight-stamp multiple is correctly described as a block.

A March 15, 1981, San Francisco postmark with a four-bar “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” killer ties the block to the cover.

Musser said he found the error FDC in a collection that he purchased in August 2023. “I always check all my stamps to make sure that they are tagged or not,” he said.

He subsequently sent the FDC to the American Philatelic Expertizing Service, which issued a certificate on Dec. 20, 2023, stating that the cover bears an “untagged used pane without tab”

The Scott editors determined that the new error will be listed in the 2025 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers to be published in early October.

The new listing for Scott 1819b will read, “Block of 8, tagging omitted” along with a footnote stating, “No. 1819b is found on an Artmaster cacheted cover with a first-day postmark.”

In the Aug. 8, 2022, issue, Linn’s reported Musser’s discovery of a tagging-omitted error on the U.S. 1991 29¢ Comedians booklet stamp (Scott 2562) honoring Laurel and Hardy that came from a booklet pane of 10 containing two each of the five different 29¢ Comedians stamps (2562-2566).

In addition to the aforementioned Laurel and Hardy stamp, during the past 18 months, Linn’s has reported tagging-omitted errors of the 2017 nondenominated (47¢) Love stamp (Scott 5155), 2022 nondenominated (58¢) Flags coil stamp printed by Banknote Corporation of America (5656), 2019 nondenominated (55¢) Flag coil stamp printed by Banknote Corporation of America (5343), 2022 nondenominated (58¢) pink Love stamp (5661), two of the four 2022 Mountain Flora stamps (5676 and 5677), and one of the four 1986 22¢ Ameripex ’86 panes of nine (2219).

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