Help Classification Stamps 1870

new stamps are the only Americans in 1870 that I have in my collection, following your pages I have tried to classify them but they are very difficult for the secret marck for the type of paper and many other things, maybe with your help I could classify them

The first stamp (15c) appear to my eye to be #163 but note that paper type and color shapes are notorious difficult to determine via an image. It appears to have some surface disturbance along the shoulder of the bust (above the word 'cents'). What really stands out of the horrid reperf on the right hand side, someone must have nibble these out with their teeth!
While these detract from the value of the stamp I would imagine that it would still be desired by some collectors.

It looks like a scrape of some kind. It may be visible on the rear of the stamp as well...possibly thinning the stamp just a bit in that area.

Appears re-perfed on top too. The "blemish" appears to run from the right edge through the neck--could be a repaired tear? Looks like its either 163 or 189

I post more pictures of the request would not know what it is

Might have been some work done adding some of the top perfs as well. Someone spent a lot of time trying to make this look good.

The catalog we use in the US for these is Scott. I will give those numbers and hope you can cross reference to Yvert or Gibbons or whatever you are using.

The one cent is number 206 American re-engraved, the two cent is 157 Continental, the six cent is number 159 if it is on hard paper or #186 on soft (looks hard to me), and the ten cent is number 209 American re-engraved. The fifteen cent appears to me to have the "waffling" effect of soft wove paper, but you will have to check it. The tear and the gum will both interfere with the "snap test," so I suggest transillumination. Hold it so a strong light shines through and look for the mottled appearance of a wove paper mesh. If the paper seems translucent with hardly any mesh, then it is hard paper (#163). If you see the mesh it is #189.

Hard paper was produced from cloth fiber (rags) and soft paper from wood pulp. They have different characteristics under UV light. If you have access to that, I can tell you what to look for.

Perfs. on the 2-cent and 10-cent look a bit suspect too. Larger pic. might show them better. Left and top perfs. on the 2-cent and the bottom perfs. on the 10-cent look a bit odd to me.

That one higher resolution looks to show that it was both repaired, re-gummed and had a re-perforation on at least the right side. It has a nice pale reddish-orange color though.

From your scan of the front it's a little hard to make out but looks like it could be an 1873 Continental Banknote printing (#163) only because to me it looks like soft porous paper on your image but you can't say that without checking it in hand first.

Tip: Take a look at the back of your Scott #114 as that is hard white paper so you can compare them.

Here is a good link on paper types for a quick reference.

http://www.1847usa.com/BanknotePaperTypes.htm

This site is a little more involved and can get you going in the right direction with the different printings and a little history of the large banknotes.

http://www.uspcs.org/the-1870-93-is...ote-company/