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Laid Wove Laid, watermarked Wove, watermarked In addition to the watermarks that are intentionallyimpressed into the wet pulp from the dandy roll, thereis an additional watermark of interest to stamp collectors.This is the "stitch" watermark. In appearance it resemblesa row of stitches, which are exactly what caused it. The"stitch" watermark, of importance on some early UnitedStates stamps, is caused by the blanket which carries thepartially dry pulp over the drying rolls. This blanket, ormore correctly a "belt," is stitched at various places tohold it together. When this line of stitches happens tostrike the partially wet pulp at or near the point whenthe pulp passes from the Fourdrinier screen to the dry-ing rolls—and the paper is then in a very wet stage—thestitches of the blanket will impress themselves into thepaper and cause an additional, and unintentional, water-mark. As the blanket is extremely long, running somehundreds of feet, and may not be stitched for a consider-able length, the "stitch" watermark will occur only atinfrequent intervals. Hence, when discovered on a stamp,it is often prized by collectors. |
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