Recent 1851-7 1c Franklin Purchase

Here is an interesting group I just received.
I did not have much info from the seller other than #7 or #9s, group of 9 and a poor front image. Price was reasonable enough to take a chance.
Just a quick look at them, I see first one may be 81R1E, second is 45R2, next two relief B plate 1L, last on top is top row relief T plate 1L, second row first two relief B plate 1L, next relief A plate 1L, last looks to be relief A plate 2. Now to get a closer look.



It has been a long time since I have bought something that was not on ebay.

I thought about that lot a couple weeks ago.
The plate 1E centerline alone made it interesting. Those are not common.

Txstamp, that is what caught my attention. I seem to have an affinity for stamps showing the center line. I got the lot at 50% off which came about to almost $20 each. Not a bad purchase. None have any faults that I have found yet. I am working with a 2400 dpi scan of the group now. 81R1E and 45R2 is confirmed.

I have plated 5 of the 9 stamps today.
81R1E, 45R2, 84L1L, 4L1L, and 47L1L.

I have a question .. are plate bruises on plate 1 late constant?
For instance, the stamp above (#5) that I have identified as 4L1L does not show a plate bruise. The copy in my database (Siegel #839 lot 83) does not show this bruise. The copy on The Franklin Archive does show it. The stamp #7 in my group above also looks like 4L1L and has the plate bruise to match The Franklin Archive copy.

Hi, jaxom. Plate bruises on Plate 1 Late can vary in intensity, sometimes to the point where they are barely visible. A good example is 95R1L, where the bruise in the head can be quite dark on some copies and virtually non-existent on others (I have examples of both). I must say that I haven't been aware of 4L1L as a plate bruise position before now.

In general as plate 1L wore bruising became both evident and often prominent.

There are numerous positions easily plated by consistent bruising in late impressions. 4R1L and 6R1L immediately come to mind. Early impressions do not show it.

Then would you say that stamp #5 and stamp #7 are both 4L1L even though only one has a plate bruise? Actually there are two plate bruises, one in the hair to the left and above the eye, and the other directly below it on the shoulder above the C in CENT. The only other choices for one of these two stamps is 5L1L or 8L1L. It should be easy, but it is not.

I'm not in a position for now to do any careful looking, but at a glance I can tell you stamp 7 is a late impression while stamp 5 - though not an early impression, is notably earlier than 7 , definitely enough so that stamp 7 could show bruising and 5 not.

Here are some larger images of the two stamps that appear to be 4L1L.

This is #5:



This is #7:

Stamp #5 is definitely 4L1L. Stamp #7 is a harder call, but it looks to be a T Relief and the bruises are a match for the plating archive photo, so I'd say your conclusion that they are both 4L1L is correct.