T206 Marquard "White Lines"

[steve B]

All this about the white lines and nobody commented that the Old Mill is different from all the others shown?

The dark blue comes lower, the dark green higher, and the reddish stripe in the sky is a lot wider.

I think all 3 of these would be different positions on the plate/stone. Another piece of the puzzle to figure out the sheet layouts.

Steve B

[Abravefan11]

Steve -

The Marquard card in question is very similar to the color combinations of Ritchey. The "Dove" in the sky that shows on some Ritchey's but not on others is the result of an improvement in the application or quality of ink in the 350 series printing. A person with more understanding of the printing process could possibly speak to the exact cause of the difference.

Both cards image quality improved during the 350 series.

I don't think this is the cause of the white lines on the Marquard though.

[T206Collector]

[sb1]

I have to disagree with this statement. The image quality on each and every card of the 150 series is far superior in color and sharpness than the 350 series.

By the time the massive 350 series was printed the stones were quite worn and reworked a bit I suspect.
As to the white lines and the doves, they were probably the results of effacing the stones.

Originally Posted by Abravefan11

Steve -

The Marquard card in question is very similar to the color combinations of Ritchey. The "Dove" in the sky that shows on some Ritchey's but not on others is the result of an improvement in the application or quality of ink in the 350 series printing. A person with more understanding of the printing process could possibly speak to the exact cause of the difference.

Both cards image quality improved during the 350 series.

I don't think this is the cause of the white lines on the Marquard though.

[Abravefan11]

Originally Posted by sb1

I have to disagree with this statement. The image quality on each and every card of the 150 series is far superior in color and sharpness than the 350 series.

Hi Scott,

I wouldn't make the statement that the image quality improved on each and every card. I have Ritchey 150 cards that the quality is much nicer than 350 examples I have. I would say on the whole that the quality was improved during the 350 run but certainly not every card.

*Also the image comparison I posted is of scans I had with the greatest contrast to better show the difference in quality. Many cards fall between these examples.

[Anthony S.]

Wow, 36 posts without a single mention of Grandmaster Flash. That song's been stuck in my head since the moment I saw the thread title yesterday. Way to stay on topic, guys.

[steve B]

Wikipedia has a good explanation of how lithography works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithography

The effects shown with the dark blue color could happen from a dry plate, but that usually leaves traces on the rest of the item being printed. And the dove like area would be inconsistent or missing on many 350 cards.

The plate or stone being worn wouldn't cause something like that, as the ink accepting area would shrink or become less well defined within the same area.

If you accept the theory of a 150, a 150-350, and a 350 group of printings then there must be at least 3 different plates or stones used. Adding or changing the image on the plate is difficult for anything but fixing a small scratch. It could be done on a stone, I'm not sure it could be done on a modern plate. I think the white lines are a scratch on the plate/stone or a spot that didn't get the ink accepting coating.

Steve B

[sreader3]

Here are the results of a quick survey combining the inputs on this thread with eBay listings:

Back -- # With White Lines / Total #

EPDG -- 2/3
Old Mill -- 0/1
Piedmont 150 -- 2/10
Piedmont 350 -- 0/6
Sweet Caporal 150 -- 0/14
Sweet Caporal 350 -- 0/1

This is interesting because 150-only subjects are not known with EPDG, and EPDG is widely believed to be an early 350 series back (due to the availability of the "Elite Eight" 150/350 subjects with Piedmont 350 and EPDG but no other 350 back type).

[novakjr]

I know there is some variation in the red swirl of the Owen Wilson card. I've got two of 'em, but don't have any scans at the moment, so I'm just stealing a few images off the net.

[wrapperguy]

My Sweet Cap 150 has no lines.