The herrer is a printing problem, but one I have a tough time figuring out.
That and a couple others in the same category are carried over from the old variation lists that focused mainly on the obvious stuff. And the companies basically work from the published lists.
Some of the printing dots are actually differences on the plate or damage to the plate. I prefer to call them varieties since variations carries so much baggage for some collectors. I do think that only the major ones ought to get a listing in a general catalog, the minor ones could be listed in a specialized list. The same sort of discussions go on in stamps, and some of those have been studied closely for 100 years or more. And there are still "new" varieties being found. With one of the areas I specialize in the main catalog was incorrect until about 2005 when the correct info was published in the early 60's.
Steve B
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