Private Die Experimental Silk Paper ???

Out of shear curiosity I picked up a RO77b P. Eichele & Co. Private Die stamp. The listing in Scott Specialized has four varieties. Two are silk paper, however one (RO77e) says Experimental Silk paper. How do you identify the experimental silk paper?



It's very apparent that there are blue fibers, you can see three different wads in the paper.

Bill's article, which has some updates, is here
http://stampsmarter.com/learning/Ma...SStamps.html

Don

Interesting! Thank you both!

Here is an example of a match stamp that is Ex silk. Note the silk fibers are of a lighter color blue and are very scarce on face and back. There are other colors of Ex silk, such as red, but are way less common then the blue. Most fibers are not immediately recognizable such as the darker blue fibers that are generous on face and back of your stamp.


Fiber just under top middle perf, and lower circled in pencil.


Fiber above comma after date.



There are a few others that are not visible in these scans, as they are embedded in the paper.
The Ex Silk paper was only in play for a short time, roughly Aug 1870 to early 1871 when regular silk paper replaced it. The paper thickness and texture all play a part in this too. It has taken many years to become proficient at identifying these. There are often stray pieces of colored string or other materials that appear to be silk but are not. The regular silk stamps had the fibers mixed in with the paper pulp, ex silk was hand strewn into the wet paper pulp as I understand it. There may only be one fiber in a single stamp.
Hope this helps answer your question.

It does, thanks.

Would you know who manufactured the Ex Silk paper, by chance?

The first photo, to me is Granit paper.
The second photo from rwoodennickel I believe is silk paper.
I have an exemple of silk paper on ebay , you can see clearly, but also is in the touch to recognize this paper.
132743565141

https://archive.org/details/ahistor...ma00weekgoog

free download book

That's awesome! Thanks!

I was not able to see fibers in the paper of the listing https://www.ebay.com/itm/132743565141. How would anyone find it with ebay search using the category or title?

I recently listed a R65d example of experimental silk paper that happens to have a good showing of blue fibers: https://www.ebay.com/itm/253812276940 The paper is softer than most First Issue revenue paper and colors tended to be brighter and clearer.

This 70 cent has many more threads then usually found on what is called silk (first issue) or experimental silk (match & medicines) papers.
On the linked 2 cent proprietary, there appears to be a thread on the face above the E of REV, but I would be hesitant to call it silk just based on that one fiber.

So, ultimately the detection and certification of "silk paper" should be left up to the professionals or experts? Seems a fair statement. I've read several differing view points on "silk paper" what is and what isn't.

The strangest part of this is the rag paper, when rag particles or strands are introduced into the paper making process. Seems coincidental that the rag strands are almost always black, red or blue. Same colors as silk fibers. Go figure!

moyock
please remember that the paper of that period was unbleached. this would lead to many of the colored fibers that show up in the mix. there would also be chips of wood bark and jute fibers from the bags used to transport the rags. often parts of the blue drug paper wrapping adhere to the back of some items. the first issue ex silk paper is not the same as the ex or full silk of the m and m's. the amount of mixing after the introduction of the silk into the paper also plays a part.
i have seen a large imperforate multiple m and m item (that I consider printers waste) that the single stamps if separated could be considered as old, ex and and or full silk copies. the boston revenue book discusses the paper manufacturer issue and offers clues to the quality or lack thereof. the m and m ex silk paper is thick, soft and usually has only 1-3 fibers per stamp. these are usually very short and should be in the body and not on the surface. if you soaked your ro77b it will clean up and look better.
red or reddish brown fiber is only usually found on the pink papers and is a separate minefield.