Scott #10, If Orange Brown, Early Use. Any Opinion?

Sinclair,

Yes, my thin paper stamp is position 23L1e with a small Boston PAID cancel. It was confirmed by Wilson Hulme as yellowish OB on part India paper, and he measured the paper thickness with a micrometer. Here it is:

Classic Coins, I was mostly referring to Stampcrow's thin paper stamp but thanks for showing yours. Really nice color and impression on your stamp.

Mine is not what you describe Sinclair2010. I will post a pick here. There aren't a lot of notations in this album. This thin paper was one. I of course, was hopeful.

Stampcrow, you are correct. That is not a thin paper stamp from 1851. I have seen a couple 11's on a thin paper but have never had the chance to inspect one in-hand. The paper on your stamp doesn't appear to be thin at all.

Thanks sinclair2010. It's puzzling that the previous owner missed the mark, really by a mile, on this stamp.

Stampcrow, That stamp almost certainly was printed from plate 4, which didn't come into use until 1855.

Just wanted to mention this in case you're recording these in a database or something, which I've always loved doing with my collection.

CC, I am definitely taking all this down. Pen and paper though. I'm digesting the Chase book and putting together pages of bullets. I will be adding other information, where applicable.

Long range goal, have an album with pages of information, sprinkled with mounted stamps as examples.

Perhaps a page or two on plate varieties. Info covering shifted transfers, and stamps showing same. Same for short transfers, cracked plates etc.

Of course, pages for specific plates also.

Sounds like you have years of study ahead just for that collection. I keep a database in Excel, and have searched it thousands of times over the decades for plate position, color, variety, cancel, etc.

Be sure to keep an eye out for stitch watermarks as you're going through your collection. They seem to be pretty scarce. Here's a single stitch going across the center of the stamp at left, and a double stitch just below the center of the right stamp:

Are those images done with your scanner?

Yeah. I used a black background to help show the stitches. These would show much better in watermark fluid, but they can be picked up pretty easily with the naked eye. Definitely a high-interest variety for collectors of this issue.

Well, this one had a notation on the page, stitch watermark. It does show some marks, but in a vertical pattern. I don't think that's correct for a stitch mark. Is it?
The stamp is damaged also. Neat to see the date on it though.
there's a second stamp that was noted stitch also. The back is stained, so I can't see any sign of stitch marks.

I've never seen a vertically-oriented stitch watermark on this issue. Your image is kind of blurry, so I can't interpret what those vertically-oriented parallel lines might be.

It may be harder to see on the stained one. If you don't have watermark fluid and a tray, it may help to hold the stamp under a light with something black right below it.

If you hold a stitch watermark at the right angle under a light, the paper should clearly look rippled like waves.

I should add that stitch watermarks aren't watermarks at all. Chase says they are impressions made in the paper by a stitch in the "continuous band of fabric carrying the pulp from the vat." He also says "on the 1851-'57 stamps the band of line is always found running horizontally across the stamp from side to side, and never from top to bottom."

Very interesting thread.

Thank you CC for the link to the color chart.

I enjoyed reading the excitement regarding "thin paper". This example purchased recently as a 10a, came to mind. It says silk paper on it's back side. I have read about the horizontal fibers?

Any opinion's.