1c 1851 Plate 4 Stamps

njs - Nice find. The mark in the bust definitely confirms 1R4.

I have 2L4, but its not alone. Its kind of a bookend to your top row right pane perforated strip. I will post that piece at some point when I get to it.

njs900 - I wish that I had some duplicates to trade with you, but in case you haven't seen them already, Alan Cohen has two of the top row plate 4 stamps that you are still looking for. You can check out the images on his website http://alanecohen.com/

#7 Position 2L4. Relief "A'. cds cancel. ex Koppersmith, Saadi. 1992 and 1986 PF certificates $1,100.00 (Item #4144)
#7 Position 4R4. Neat cds cancel. F/VF. Lovely color. 2019 PFC $500.00

Positions 1-6L4 imperforate.
This is the largest top row imperforate multiple known to me.



I first obtained this circa the late 1990s, sold in 2005 and recently re-acquired it.

In spite of flaws, considering the rarity of imperforate Plate 4 stamps, I have always been quite fond of this strip.

txstamp - That's an incredible strip.

I recently acquired another ex-Saadi stamp from Alan Cohen. It's position 10R4 - the only double transfer on the plate. Ashbrook makes special mention of the rarity of this stamp based on how few examples he had seen, and I don't know if his opinion still holds today.

widglo - Congratulations. Imperforate 10R4 is maybe the most difficult to obtain notable 1c stamp variety that there is. I never had one, and in 1995 when this stamp came up for sale, I missed it, and Wade got it. Back then I assumed I'd see another one. I only saw two really ugly singles go by, that I didn't want. The two 9-10R4 pairs didn't come to auction until after I had stopped focusing on 1c stamps.

What I listed above, is my complete list of the 5 imperforate 10R4's I've ever seen. No doubt there are a few more - this type of thing would surface on ebay, but yours is the ONLY presentable single I've ever seen.

When Wade's wonderful 1c collection was listed by Alan, over a year ago, I went through it, and if I were still specializing, my first two purchases would have been: your 10R4, your 60R3. Good eye.

I added another #8A to my collection that I am fairly certain is a plate 4, "D" relief, but I'm not sure of the plate position. The Neinken diagram for 78L4 shows plate marks in "S" and "T" that may match, but I'm not sure. The side marks and the blur in the "C" seem to be absent. If anyone can help me, I'd much appreciate it.

I've also been experimenting with microphotography, and this is the first stamp that I tried out my microscope setup. I know very little about either microscopy or photography, so the challenge has been great. I am really enjoying it, however, and I think that as I get into it, my plating ability will greatly improve. It's been frustrating to work with scans, because without good images, it's hard to get help from other experts.

The detail in the "S" and "T" of this stamp is shown as captured from a photograph vs. scanning at 2400 dpi. I've tried scanning at 4800 dpi, and even though the manufacturer states the optical resolution of the scanner (Canon LIDE 220) supports this, I actually find the scans to be of worse quality. Perhaps too much noise is introduced. At any rate, the detail obtained with a photograph compared to what I could obtain with the scanner blew me away.

Widglo,

The marks in the C of Cent are the consistent in 78L4. Can you see anything under the cancel?

njs900 - I took a photo of the "C" in CENTS. I don't see anything that looks like the blur in the Neinken map. Is there another possibility with the distinctive mark that is in the "T" of my patient?

Position 100R4, Scott #6, Type Ia. Ex-Celler.

Beautiful stamp!

Really nice TX

This is a blow-up of the stamps on a cover that should be on its way to me in a few days. 7-9R4
I was the underbidder on this cover 10 years ago. Had a second chance at it this week. Happy.

Chip

Awesome strip+cover.
I thought about bidding on that, but didn't. I'm happy that you got it.

There were some fabulous top row plate 4 items in Gordon's sale.
The one key thing he was missing : imperforate 10R4 !!

widglo - take note: you have a great stamp that was not present in one of the otherwise great collections of all time.

txstamp - I did notice that, and reminded me that I should feel lucky!

I purchased one plate 4 item from this sale - the 45-46R4 pair. Here again, I feel lucky because I don't think I would have gone any higher.

What a pair. Ty III-IIIA no less.

When plate 4 material looks good, it can look great.
Witness the material posted tonight.

One of the best off-cover stamp items I used to own was a plate 4 pair.