Hi Dale. The frame top and bottom isn't sufficient to make it a 10. Both the #10 and #11 imperforate 3 cent 1851s have frames top and bottom. The difference between the perforate 25 and 26 is the top and bottom frame, the 25 basically being a perforated 11 whereas the 26 was prepared without the frames to make room for the perforations. It really is the color and the strength of the engraving that distinguishes 10 from 11 (there's a number of
recent #11 threads with photos of the differences). However, if this stamp is really as washed out as it appears, and were it indeed a 10, the difference would be academic, not monetary.
Of course, no discussion of the differences between 10s and 11s is valid with out a link to the canonical site:
http://home.comcast.net/~3cent1851/index.htm.
Posted 03/13/2011 2:29 pm
