They can, but they are not the same as joint line pairs found on coils printed on the Stickney rotary press. Guide lines are found on sheets printed from flat plates, and are just that, guides to show where the sheets of 200 stamps are to be cut into panes of 50. These lines are inscribed onto the printing plate and will always look sharp and clean. There are certainly far fewer line pairs than unlined pairs, but for any particular issue, the rarity will depend on how many full sheets of 200 were cut "wrong" to create line pairs.
A joint line is the result of attaching 2 thin plates onto a cylindrical drum of a rotary press. The edges of the plates do not butt up perfectly and ink will collect in the gap, creating a joint line. These are almost always thicker rough-edged lines than you'll see from a guide line.A joint line will appear every 15th stamp on vertical coils and on every 17th stamp on horizontal coils.
The latest Scott US Specialized catalog I have is the 1990 edition. In that one C1 is valued at $70 mint, and a center line block of 4 is valued at $325 (line pairs are not valued). So, roughly, about a 15% premium over the value of 4 singles. The center line block of four has a horizontal line and a vertical line because it is smack in the center of the sheet of 200. Take out that block and that leaves a possible 8 vertical line pairs and 18 horizontal line pairs from the remainder of the sheet.
I am not a specialist in US stamps, and aside from joint line coil pairs, I don't collect these kinds of specialty items (line pairs, plate blocks, etc) so I am not certain about actual market values. But I would think that with a center line block getting only a 15% premium, the 8 to 18 times more common line pairs would rate much smaller premiums, yet, if any. But, perhaps someone else with more buying and/or selling experience with them can chime in with a more definitive answer.
Updated values from the 2019 Scott USA Specialized: C1 individual stamp is $55 MH ($110 NH) while the Center Line Block is $275 MH (no value given in NH condition). Line pairs are still not valued.
One interesting note: Scott has a section where the older stamps are priced by grade (Very Good centering up to Superb centering). The $55 MH price and $110 NH price are for Very Fine centering. Very good centering is only $14 MH, while a Superbly centered MH stamp is priced at $200. So the centering is much more important compared to presence of any lines. And even more interesting is that a Very Fine centered used stamp is priced at $28 while a Superbly centered used stamp is priced at $475. If you have Superbly centered C1 stamps in NH condition, you have hit the jackpot; they are valued at $1,900 each. There is a huge jump up in price from XF-Sup to Sup.
Thank you both very much for your time and knowledge. I'm basically a novice collector in U.S stamps. I've put together a complete airmail MNH collection including booklet Panes, complete booklets,and plate blocks minus C1 thru C6 and the zeps. Plus regular and commemorative and some Bob's. Thank you again. Al
There is a good selection of US C1 posted here singles, blocks, pairs, and even a sheet. You can get a very fine well centered MNH copy for around 80-100.
Comments
A joint line is the result of attaching 2 thin plates onto a cylindrical drum of a rotary press. The edges of the plates do not butt up perfectly and ink will collect in the gap, creating a joint line. These are almost always thicker rough-edged lines than you'll see from a guide line.A joint line will appear every 15th stamp on vertical coils and on every 17th stamp on horizontal coils.
I am not a specialist in US stamps, and aside from joint line coil pairs, I don't collect these kinds of specialty items (line pairs, plate blocks, etc) so I am not certain about actual market values. But I would think that with a center line block getting only a 15% premium, the 8 to 18 times more common line pairs would rate much smaller premiums, yet, if any. But, perhaps someone else with more buying and/or selling experience with them can chime in with a more definitive answer.
Ted
One interesting note: Scott has a section where the older stamps are priced by grade (Very Good centering up to Superb centering). The $55 MH price and $110 NH price are for Very Fine centering. Very good centering is only $14 MH, while a Superbly centered MH stamp is priced at $200. So the centering is much more important compared to presence of any lines. And even more interesting is that a Very Fine centered used stamp is priced at $28 while a Superbly centered used stamp is priced at $475. If you have Superbly centered C1 stamps in NH condition, you have hit the jackpot; they are valued at $1,900 each. There is a huge jump up in price from XF-Sup to Sup.
stamps. I've put together a complete airmail MNH collection including booklet
Panes, complete booklets,and plate blocks minus C1 thru C6 and the zeps. Plus regular and commemorative and some Bob's. Thank you again. Al