A music consultant recently discovered a design error on a newly issued Royal Mail stamp featuring a still from The Final Problem, an episode from the fourth season of Sherlock.
Issued as part of a six-stamp set this August, the British stamp depicts Sherlock Holmes – a Stradivarius-playing violinist portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch – alongside his sister Eurus, who’s also a violinist.
In the episode, the siblings play a duet together; however, on the stamp, Eurus’ violin bow is double-ended – there’s a “frog” at each end – something that’s unknown to the wooden string instrument. (Bows are held at one end with the “frog,” where violinists grip and tighten the bow’s hair, while the other end includes the “tip.”)
“If you know, you know,” wrote music consultant Kathleen Wallfisch on LinkedIn, a social media site on which she announced the error.
“The tip of the bow has been Photoshopped for some reason. Problem is they’ve mirrored the other end of the bow, otherwise known as the ‘frog’ or ‘heel.’ Massive error – looks really silly. I know it might seem like a small oversight, but it also reminds me why there is a need for music consultancy.”