Franklin 1c Plating Help For Plate 1l

I've having difficulty confirming this one. It seems like it might be 84L (plate 1L) due to Relief B, position of the guide dot in the lower right, and the left edge of the top recut line seems to be doubled from the original line--consistent with the features of 84L. BUT, it does not seem to have many "rust spots", which at least according to Doporto's Franklin plating archive is characteristic of this position (http://www.slingshotvenus.com/Frank...Frame.html). Any help appreciated. Thanks!

bringing this back to the top just in case someone missed it earlier.

Lukas, are you sure it's P1L? I only know the perforated 1857's, and the difference between Type II and IV is sometimes very confusing to me. I know that some frames appear recut but are heavily inked, and where I've thought Type IV on an imperf, I was wrong.

Main reason for asking on this one is that it doesn't have the hollow look of a Plate 1L stamp, and the light blue color looks like a possible 1E to me, again the imperfs aren't my expertise. Could the upper frame line be heavy and blurred?

If this is bad info, I apologize in advance. Thought I'd shout out, it's been pretty slow around here..... Ray

Ray, I appreciate your question! I'm far from an expert on these, so it is totally possible I have misidentified a Type II (7) for a IV (9). The top line definitely looks recut to me, but I only have a few of these actually in hand. I haven't looked at Plates 1E, 2, or 3 real closely and I've just started to study Plate 1L, so there probably are many nuances I'm missing.

I agree with what ray says about the sometimes confusing appearance of Type II vs. IV stamps, but I think this example clearly shows a split recut top line. In addition, there are vertical scratches along the right side that aid in plating. These scratches are clearly shown in the Ashbrook/Neinken drawing for 84L1L, and can also be seen in the Doporto image. It is also true that this example does not show the characteristic rusty plate marks, but these are not necessarily consistent from sheet to sheet. In any event, it seems evident that this is 84L1L with weak or no rusty plate marks.

Dudley, thanks for the input!

Thanks Dudley. I looked at the image on Doporto and the beginning and end of the recut is right spot on.....again didn't want to throw out misdirection, but thought it would be a valid possibility. It sure does look like you guys have it pegged....nice job to both of you... Ray