New Arrival For My Shade Collection 66tc, Formerly #66

I've always wanted one of these, and it's just a beautiful shade and stamp, but was declared a bunch of years ago to be a Trial Color Proof, and not a stamp because it wasn't ever issued. It's one of those spaces that most folks probably won't ever have filled in their U.S. album, unless they specialize in the shades of the 3c 1861, and it's not 100% perfect.

I think it's probably reperfed on the right, and it's got a perf crease in the upper left, but all in all, a pretty nice copy-- since this issue is fairly well known for it's ragged perfs to begin with.


Here is an enhanced image at 9600dpi of the area under the upper left "3". You can see all of the dark maroon areas and some of the lighter of those show blues, violets and even blue-greens. The violet is what you're looking for with the "Lake" color, as it is a purple shade of carmine or red.


Just needed to gloat a bit on this one.....really pretty color!
Ray

Very nice ! Congrats.

and the design impression is spectacular!

What a gorgeous impression, and the color saturation is rich and full. Very nice item. Stamp paper and not India, I assume?

EssayK-- is supposed to be on stamp paper, and I have a few proofs, all card, so I don't have an example of India paper.

I have a comparison scan here-- the 66TC (stamp paper), an unlisted Trial Color Proof (Weiss cert, and Jim Lee also looked at it for me), and a bad impression #65 unused.

The 66TC is definitely a whiter paper than the others, and when Bill certed the Trial Color, he returned it to me with an orange piece of paper below it to show me that the paper is grayish. The paper looks on the 2nd item, the Trial Color on this image looks more like the #65 stamp paper, at least to me:


I also showed the Trial Color to Jack Daley, and we're both hoping that it's a stamp-- because if it is, it could be the first ID'd shade of rose scarlet.....since you're an essay/proof collector, do you have any examples of #65 Trial Color proofs, and does it look like a Trial Color Proof to you?

And is there any way that the 66TC looks like India given this example?

Thanks, Ray

PS, I'm going to send to Bill in the next couple of days for a cert for the 66TC.....

My collection is mostly specific to the Bank Note Issues, so I do not have much of the material you would like to compare. But I do have a couple of pieces that might be of some interest. I will scan them today and set them before you, but it will be a bit later. I will get to it.

I should mention that I watched without bidding yesterday as the Kelleher company sold off a number of specialist items for this issue. Including an example of your TC that looks very much like your own, especially for centering. I was tempted to act until it hit $500, finally selling for $650. An imperf pair sold below house estimate, and an example on laid paper got no action at all. An imperf premier gravure brought 275.
Take a look: http://stampauctionnetwork.com/v/v65511.cfm

Ray, looking forward to seeing this one in person. This is the one you told me about a while back isn't it?

Dave

Yup, Dave that's the one....:)

Wow impressive to be certain! Design not muddy looking like the ones to the right of it. Nice score Ray!

This just goes to show you how far apart two scanners can be in rendering the same thing. The example of #66 in the Kelleher sale (link above) looks very similar in shade to your example which started this thread. Here is an example of that same stamp which Siegel is about to offer next week: [the link editor here is truncating the full link, so you will have to go to this link and then follow the contents page to lot 151]

http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynam...sale_no=1078


If you've seen the Siegel item (lot 151) note the shade difference in what they are offering as the same thing as your 66TC6 and compare that shade to something I am about to show you below.


Sorry I mentioned India paper on this, Ray. Given the perforations it is a bit of a red herring. Except for privately perforated India paper proofs (faking stamps) they are always imperf. But the look of your paper is really that of a rather hi-brite stamp paper. Some of the paper used for issued production was of this brighter grade, but they also tried out a host of patent papers and specialty papers with these. If it were my field I might be able to be more specific, but as it is I should leave that for those who really know. However, I do know that some rather thin, hi-brite paper was used by National in the Bank Note era, even for regular production. Not sure how long or how often however.

Here is a scan of some things from my collection that might contribute data to what you are looking at with your pieces. On left is a 65-E15h on a paper Scott describes as "semi-transparent stamp paper." The PF cert that came with it was from 1986 when this was still being called #56, so the color nomenclature was "brown rose." I think it looks more like "dim deep red" in the newer listing.




The other two stamps I have grouped with the issued #65s, but the stamp in the middle has always been a bit of a conundrum to me. It has a particularly whitish paper, and the impression is as "proof-like" as issued stamps ever come. In these regards it is like the essay on its left. I regard it as an early state of something, but it may just be from an early run on a new plate.

Here are some close views of the paper and printing. The upper pair are the two left stamps; the lower are the two right stamps, counting the stamp in the middle both ways. I honestly believe the quality of the impression on the stamp in the middle is better than that of the essay item. Its color is also more brownish than the usual rose (on right).



Have you seen this before? Does it contribute anything to your potential stamp versus essay question?

Ray,

Can we get a scan of the back of your trial color stamp?

"Here is an enhanced image at 9600dpi of the area under the upper left "3". You can see all of the dark maroon areas and some of the lighter of those show blues, violets and even blue-greens. The violet is what you're looking for with the "Lake" color, as it is a purple shade of carmine or red."

Yes, you want to have it lean to the purple side for it to be lake, but the blues and blue-greens you see are an artifact of your scanner - 9600 dpi is simply beyond its practical limit.