SPOILER ALERT
The thoughts and opinions expressed on this page should not be taken as anything close to the “final say” on the topic.
These are my thoughts and a synthesis of the various sources I have read on the very complicated topic of steel‑engraved printing of postage stamps. Over the years, the topic has, unfortunately, led to some unpleasant acrimony among students of philately. I have no time or inclination to become involved in that sort of thing. Feel free to disagree.
On this page, I offer an introduction intended to help those new to the topic get off to a good start.
Throughout this site, the term “Re‑entry” is used to describe a type of constant plate variety that shows clear doubling in one or more parts of the design. The doubling must result from an additional application of the transfer roller to the printing plate. I find this a useful working model, and it fits nicely with direct quotations from Marler.
However, the devil is in the details. I spent a few decades studying Canada’s Small Queen issue. In the 19th century, it was cost‑effective to take the time and effort to revitalize printing plates that were “wearing out.” The flat, unhardened plates were “re‑entered” to make the impressions on the printing plate deeper and thus improve the appearance of the finished product. This process of re‑entering some or all of the plate, well after stamp production from that plate had begun, is my preferred definition of a Re‑entry.
It seems to be fairly well accepted that this process of re‑entering did not occur on the curved and sometimes (often?) hardened plates used to print stamps of Canada’s Admiral issue.
So, how did the Admiral re‑entries come to be? We know of many Admiral “re‑entries” that have been identified on the plate proofs. I am unaware of any instances where re‑entry‑style doubling first appeared some time after the initial stamps were printed from a given plate. To my way of thinking, this doubling is the result of an attempt to correct less‑than‑perfect workmanship by an additional application of the transfer roller to the printing plate during plate preparation. I like the term “Double Transfer” for this process, but that is not universally accepted either.
So, in summary, this site will use the term “Re‑entry” to describe the doubling of lines caused by any mis‑registration of the transfer roller to the printing plate. We know it is not a perfect term, but it will work. Maybe we can agree that if it was good enough for Marler, it is good enough for us?
If you want quick and easy access to a very well‑considered discussion of most of the terms associated with steel engraving of postage stamps, I would encourage you to visit my late friend Ralph Trimble’s page on Re‑entry Terms.
Marler uses the term “Re‑entries” throughout his 1981 book. However, if we look at some of his earlier writing, and consider Baxter’s work, it seems clear that there are no true “Re‑entries” to be found on the Admiral issue.
Most of the plates used to print the Admirals were curved, and it was not practical to try to re‑introduce the transfer roller to the plate after the plate had been curved.
The doubling we see on many Admiral stamps occurred during the initial production of the printing plate. Before the plate was curved, it was determined that the impression was unsatisfactory, and the transfer roller was re‑introduced to the plate in an attempt to improve the eventual stamp impressions. “Double Transfer" is a term I like better for this process.
Most of the major catalogues (and this site) will continue to use the term “Re‑entry,” but it is best to understand that “The Major Re‑entry” on the 1¢ green would be more properly called “The Major Double Transfer” on the 1¢ green.
A retouch will show lines of the design strengthened.
This thickening of lines of the stamp design is a result of the application of an engraving tool in an attempt to deepen lines which were poorly transfered.
We are aware of examples where retouching of the Admiral plate occured after the plate had been put into use printing stamps. See 7¢ Bistre 2L76. There are at least two known examples of this position where the retouching has not yet been applied. We also know that significant numbers of retouches were made to plates after the plate proofs were made.
Re‑entries and retouches are attempts to make the product better. Plate flaws do not make the product better; on the contrary, they degrade the final product.
Plate flaws can occur before or during the stamp‑production life of the plate. These marks were never meant to be present and are the result of damage to the plate before a given stamp was printed.
If we consider that some plate flaws occurred late in the working life of a plate, it is reasonable to assume that those plate flaws would be among the rarest of any of the Admiral issue’s CPVs.