1c 1851 Plate 1-Late Stamps

Widget1, I agree with jaxom and tx that this is a Type II from Plate 2. All top-row stamps on Plate 1 Late (except 4R) are recut on bottom only.

Initially I thought this was a #9 but couldn't find a good match for the guide dot. Now I am leaning towards a #7 53R2 but without the ID Image highlights it is hard to tell what to look for. Some things match, some don't.

Any hints on what to look for?

Just added a 95L1L to my collection. Not the straightest cut stamp, but all the image borders are visible. I really like this one because it is such a good example of the "Rusty Plate." It gave me a good idea of what to look for when the database indicates rusty plate. This thread has been really helpful in my goal to plate all my #9's.

@Widglo46, that Excel-based app you guys developed is fantastic. Using that, in conjunction with the online resources, has really sped up the ID Process, especially for my #7s. Do you know if Richard Doporto is still actively updating his database?

Widget1 - Glad you have found the app useful. I think that one of its most useful features are the links to the Franklin Plating Archive - it saves a lot of time jumping around that site. Doporto may be adding to it occasionally, but I don't know.

@zebraman - your stamp is definitely an A relief Ty II #7.

I don't have time to work on plating it, but jaxom's guide dot charts should help with the nice guide dot at UR.

Thank you very much for that confirmation txstamp.

I bought the stamp from a respectable retail dealer a while ago as a "#9, recut at bottom" but since it is not a top row copy, I ran into a dead end. I couldn't find a good guide dot match from plate 1L either, so I started wondering if it was a #7.

I found a tentative match at 53R2 and I am happy to leave it at that for now until I get deeper into #7. Thank you for confirming that it is not a #9 that I thought I bought. I guess the heavy cancel made it look like it was possibly recut at bottom.

zebraman, you've got some kind of image with design elements drawn in on all four sides. Looks too wide to be a trimmed #24.

If the design is drawn in, then there is a good chance that margins were added.

I like @revcollector's suggestion of margins added.

Obviously drawn in stuff - and I don't think they started with a proof since there is no cancellation dot at 9:00 in the colorless oval.

Yep, I knew I couldn't fool any of you guys on this April Fool's Day. The stamp did fool someone though, as they sent the stamp in for a certificate hoping it was a #6. PSE says it is a #24 with margins added and design elements drawn in.

The margins are impossibly large with no sign of adjacent stamps. It might have been more convincing if it were trimmed a little smaller.

The hand-drawn elements are pretty skilled, almost realistic at first glance, but easily detected with a magnifying glass or when zoomed in on the computer screen.

A fun addition to my fakes and forgeries collection.

Alas, added margins fool a lot of collectors. Knowing how to examine a stamp is a real skill, and one that many do not really have.

I picked this one up today. Unfortunately the right side is scissor cut a bit narrow, but I think narrowed this down to 51R1L. Would appreciate if someone could take a second look.

Update: I think I am mistaken since I can definitely see a smidgen of ornament L of the stamp to its left on the top left, which means it can't sit in column 1. Back to the drawing board.

Interesting find, I identified two 86L1L in my collection. Bummer because I trying to complete a plate, but good because it gives me a chance to examine two stamps from the same plate position and examine the minute differences.

Also, I have a tough time identifying double transfers, and these stamps will help me identify what to look for.

Final one for tonight. I believe this is an 80R1L. It is a bit dirty along the edges that obscures some of design. Any advice on how to clean, or should I leave it be?

One final thought, I truly have difficulty determining where the recut ends on the the right side of the bottom line. The left side seems to be easier to determine where the recut ends, but the right side has fooled me a number of times. For example, on this stamp, I believe the recut ends at the right side of the "E" in Cent, but also looks like it could extend all the way to the bottom of the "T".