More Philatelic Butchery

Does anyone know the largest multiple on record for a cover? Eventually the only multiples that will be left are on cover which ss usually a strip of 3.

There are some big ones. How big a multiple depends on what stamp issue you mean. I had an off-cover used block of 22 of #9. So that was on-cover once. There are some small number of freakishly large used multiples of many of the early issues. I seem to have a memory of a large 30c #38 used multiple. Still on covers, I've seen numerous strips of 9 of the 1c stamp (3x rate - I had one), maybe 1 strip of 10, and there are others of the other issues. The 10c stamp has some big multiples. The 3c stamp is often found in strips of 5 - French Treaty Rate of 15c, and also 7 - American packet rate of 21c, and to make multiple domestic rates.

I will say that you are definitely correct in pointing out, that covers with large used multiples of a stamp tend to not be very common.

The latest Chronicle, which I received today, illustrates a cover with a strip of ten Scott #1's.

Sorry, I was referring to the 1851-1861 1¢ Franklins.

Good question, stallzer. I don't think I've ever seen more than 9, as txstamp said.

Regarding the 1847 5c and 10c proof panes, yes, high resolution photos were made available through Smithsonian photographic services for a limited time around 2007. They weren't cheap and I didn't buy them. :(

This was at the time I was trying to get them to make me a decent set of prints of the Chase 3c 1851 plating. Note that they no longer offer prints of the Chase plating, but they made 1200 dpi scans of them available for free download. See https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collect...studies.html

ttreen - thanks very much for the info. I may look into what it takes to get a hold of those. Also, maybe, like the 3c photos, the NPM can be convinced to host these.

Well, it looks like Siegel handled the proof sheets in

Sale 1047 June 25, 2013 Only Lot.

Looks like they did not sell.

They have a pretty decent scan of them on their website.
I'm not sure how good it will be for actual plating, but its not bad for at least, initial study.

This interests me, so at some point, I plan to study, at least the 5c sheet and see what types of things that I think can be learned from at least this scan of it. I have no idea when I'll get to that, but when I do, I'll make a new thread for discussion.

Butchery at its finest! What was once a lovely unused pair of Plate 4 #20's (positions 3, 4R4 both w/ "Curl in Hair"), has been split apart! I now own the right stamp (& original cert). The left stamp is pictured (intact as a pair)on the One Cent Franklin Plating Archive site (courtesy Robert Seigel), under the 3R4 position tab. For some reason the right stamp isn't pictured under 4R4. I don't think anyone ever even knew what positions the pair was! I am attempting to collect all 20 position from top row of Plate #4.

Too bad about that 3-4R4 pair.
I always very much enjoyed the curl positions.

Regardless, its a nice 4R4 that you have there!

I, too, spent many years working on the top row of plate 4. Its a fun challenge. I don't think I quite finished it - for whatever reason, the 5R through 8R positions seemed quite elusive for me. I think I had the rest. If memory serves, I found those positions could be a bit more difficult to plate, which might be why I had a harder time finding them.

I sold an imperforate strip of 6 - position 1-6L4 with full sheet margin (and giant horizontal crease) to a friend years back. Plating is fun when you do it in the form of giant multiples.

Here we go again. From the Kelleher auction this week. Franklin appears to suffer a disproportionate number of this sort of dismemberment.

Lovely.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-SC...AOSwjtRZykro

It's especially sad to see the victims...

Lawrence & Richard Sachs.

Wow. I could not bring myself to destroy 2 stamps like that. What a shame.