1c 1857 Plate 5 Stamps

ray.mac - The only 24L5 I could find to compare it to is from Seigel, and it's not too clear. The one on Siegel though clearly showed the same side scratches on the left that Neinken shows in his drawing and which are missing on your stamp. I think you are on the right track tho with a 3rd row Plate 5. Sadly, comparisons are tough to find.

Previous owner wrote plate 5 on the back - Were they right? Is this a plate 5 B relief?

I've been trying to make sense of what I'm reading. But I can't find enough detail to figure this out. Clearly the design isn't as complete at many type Va stamps. I know if someone hadn't written on the back I would assume it is a type V. But would like to get a more knowledgeable opinion on that.

Look like plain type 5 (V, 24) to me.

So the pair is clearly Ty V. Period. It has side scratches.
But it may still be Plate 5, as that plate has both types.
A Ty V that can be plated to plate 5 is certainly way more desirable than a generic Ty V.

If this is going to be Plate 5 you only have to look at the left pane - first 6, maybe 7 columns. I think it is a B relief but I can't see well where I am right now. Check 11-16L.

dudley is probably our best active plate 5 person….ping

Thanks for all that. I made an attempt and there are certainly some close matches in that area - but not finding the cigar. The closest I got is 13-14L5, but I don't think it's right. They both have the little dots under the E of CENT, but there are too many differences. Maybe a lost cause.

Doesn't look like Plate 5 stamps to me. You can find some worn-plate impressions that don't look much like Plate 5 stamps anymore but at that point they have no extra value.

Shucks, tx, you flatter me .

If this were a Plate 5 pair it would be restricted to positions 11-16L (Relief B with side scratches, Type V). This pair does not match any of those positions as far as I can tell. I agree with sinclair that it does not have the normal sharp look of Plate 5 stamps.

With regard to plating Type V stamps in general, in the absence of any specific "tells" I always start with Plate 8.

This is a Type Va from position 5R5. It is a double transfer with prominent marks in the P, O, S, and T of POSTAGE.

jaxom100 - feel free to add this image to your database.

widglo46, added to database.
Thank you.

Pretty stamp, nice DT.

Here is an interesting strip that I saw today. It appears to be 2-4L5.
There is no image on Franklin Archive for positions 2L5 or 4L5.

I've been inactive for a while because I haven't acquired any new stamps, but I am continuing to work on the Excel plating application that I introduced in another thread:

https://goscf.com/t/57739&whichpage=32#796955

I received several suggestions (wish lists) on how the search tool could be more useful, and I've incorporated a few of them. Now I'm working on more. Dudley suggested that it would be especially helpful if one could start with "Key Identifiers" to sort out possible Type V/Va positions where the plate can be any of plates 5 through 10. I've considered how I might do this, but it's challenging. I decided to start with aids to distinguish the six reliefs including the differences between "F6" and "F10". It's basically a condensed presentation of main points in Neinken's chapter XVI, "Plates Five through Ten". I'll post some more sample pages from the application when I get a little further along.

In the process of looking for good examples of each relief to support Neinken's drawings, I came across the stamp below in Siegel's auction records. I think it is an especially nice impression of a "C" relief, and I've plated it to 65R5 (the curl above the "E" in CENT is clearly visible). I have found many 1c Franklin examples using Siegel's Power Search that haven't been plated, and I find it great fun to try and plate them even if I can't afford to own them all!

You might find David Zlowe's articles in the Chronicle about Relief Bruises on Scott 24 useful. Published in 2016 issues 249 to 251. Easiest way to find them is using the author's drop down menu.

That's a good point, Bill.

I think the Ty V/Va reliefs are reasonably identifiable via traditional means, however, the relief bruises could in theory help in identifying a particular relief, when other means might fail. I suspect that their efficacy probably varies with the quality of the printing.