Back Lighting Stamps

The last few days I've been experminting, trying to photograph the paper type on bank note stamps, as I have a couple that are real puzzles. The first is what appears to be a soft paper Continental, Sc. 157. The second is an Sc. O8, a 24 cent Agriculture on what looks like soft paper. In that last scan/ pic, I've included the ex owner's id stamps.
The Soft Paper ? Continental



And the soft paper 24 cent Agriculture
Thanks for any help with these.
Don

I would suggest that both of these are what we call "intermediate" paper, used by Continental BNCo starting about 1877, I believe. I don't think either are truly "soft" and the cancel on the 2c does not look like one we would associate with a Special Printing usage (nor is the color shade correct for a 2c SP on soft paper). One other possibility on the 2c is that it is on double paper, but I think it's unlikely to be that.

I've scaned the intermediate paper between two double paper 157s and it appears to me a differnt shade than either of the double papers, neither of which appear the same. I've also included a detailed comparison of the two double papers. The intermediate paper "feels" differnt as well.

Bill look real close on those top perfs on the 2cent stamp. Looks like it very well may have a chance at it being a double paper stamp.

Never mind then! lol look down the right side of the design to where it looks funky? Is that supposed to look like?

Down the right side of which stamp? I've photographed the back of the left double paper and compared it to the 2 cent intermediate paper.

Here's a larger scan of the intermediate paper.

Now on that picture, it DOES look "soft". For which I have no logical explanation.......

I'm sorry I was up getting my chemo yesterday so I was restricted to only my cell phone, so I couldn't show you exactly what I meant until this morning. Below I cropped out the little oddity that I spotted yesterday. It's on the side of the actual design not the perfs. I can't tell if it's just an optical illusion from a break in the cancel ink or an oddly printed design?

FWIW, on my color-corrected monitor all of those 2c stamps look like 146 shades, not 157's (too much red.) Do any show the "secret mark" seen on some 157's? (Can't tell from these scans, but many scanners introduce color casts and these may very well be 157's with a red cast...)

If no secret mark and actually a 146 shade, then almost certainly a double paper, maybe one that's just really difficult to pry apart.

If actually a 157 shade, then could be either transitional (intermediate) paper or double paper. From the "look" of it, I'd guess transitional paper Scott 157 (w/ color cast - actual shade not as red.) I've seen some examples that are pretty "soft" and "fuzzy on the perfs." They can easily be mistaken for ABNCo issues.

On a related note, that cancel looks pretty distinct (especially the killer part w/ the wide un-inked vertical stripe.) Do you know what city it's from? (Atlanta?) Whatever city it is, someone who specializes in that may be able to date it to the year (maybe even the month.) That could be very helpful in solving the mystery.

No, unfortunatly, none of the above 2c stamps show that elusive secret mark. I do think that my scanner is adding some color cast, I just compared a 15c American to my scan of the same and it showed much redder than the actual stamp. I've added a scan of the intermediate paper stamp along side of a 2c National. Sure shows a difference of shades.