Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

Here's a diamond in the rough. South Berwick ME cover. The Scott 11A plates to 83L3 with the #32 recut (Horizontal line joins top of upper right diamond block to right frame line). Sort of difficult to see as the stamp is somewhat worn.
Also the stamp has a double strike Simpson's M10, Unframed Rate Numeral "3". Simpson's Tracing #12, pg 117.

ioagoa, is there another site or reference you use for 3c plating besides StampSmarter? There are a lot of plate positions that don't yet have images in Stamp Smarter. The guide dot images are not there for many of the plates. I often feel like I'm searching with blinders on.

rinsy, go to stamp plating dot com

Ioagoa - As always thank you for the insight and knowledge. Looking back at the proofs is helpful so thanks for posting those. I often (during the short time I've been plating these) wonder why the extension of the upper part of the right inner frame up to/sometimes into the URT isnt included in the recut varieties. However, looking at the proofs I can see how it was originally engraved and it clearly has the inner frame line going all the way up. Is it correct to say that the master die and transfer reliefs all had inner frame lines and they just didn't transfer well to the plates? Perhaps Chase covers that... I am off to investigate.

Thanks again
Harper1249

Hi rlsny --

In my view -- here are the basic resources for anybody with an interest in plating the 1851 3c imperforate issue:

-- The Chase book -- available for free at the USPCS website. Link is here:

https://d2jf3tgwe889fp.cloudfront.n...okmarked.pdf


-- The 1851 Issue of United States Stamps: a Sesquicentennial Retrospective -- the definitive resource for learning how to differentiate the A, B, and C reliefs -- also available for free at the USPSC website -- link is here:

https://d2jf3tgwe889fp.cloudfront.n...CS_and_B.pdf


The Chase photos -- which picture all 2,600 plate positions by reconstructed pane -- and which were the standard reference for all of us platers for many years prior to the advent of the Internet -- and are also available for free download from the Smithsonian -- link is here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/natio...78765445003/


Then there are the various Internet resources -- as Moyock mentioned there is Stampplating.com -- and as you already are aware StampSmarter. There are other less comprehensive Internet resources as well if you search for them.

To plate your stamp -- I would start with either the Chase photo downloads from the Smithsonian or StampPlating.com. Once you land on a short list of candidate positions -- you can check StampSmarter for another confirming copy.

Regards // ioagoa

PS -- Hopefully all of the above links will work -- but if not, you can get to each of the above sites with a couple of clicks using any of the major search utilities.

Thank you for pulling that together. Working on it.

Rlsny,

You might consider downloading the images of the complete Chase plating that the Smithsonian has published on the web. Each image covers a pane of 100 and allows for you to easily scroll through them looking for a matching position. On ones with guide dots I can usually ID them pretty quickly using this approach.

The images can be found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/natio...33858290176/

You'll need to familiarize yourself with the relief layouts on each plates but generally speaking, the rows with lower right guide dots are rows 3, 5, 7 & 9. Row 1 will always have the upper guide dots. There are exceptions though but often times Chase identified them on his plates.

Hope this helps
Harper1249

Hi Harper --

You are most welcome!

Regarding the recutting of the upper end of the RIL -- you are correct as to why Chase never classified "RIL up too far" as a variety of recutting (i.e., as that is how the line was cut on the master die).

Further the discussion -- in your last post you wrote:




Generally speaking -- your statement is correct -- as in the process of manufacturing the plates, by the time the originally engraved design from the master die was transferred to a laydown, then to the transfer roll, and ultimately to the plate -- many of the lines weakened significantly -- and especially the 4 outer frame lines and the 2 inner lines -- all of which necessitated the need for the extensive recutting by TCC in an effort to restore the lines.

There is a great article in the book titled "The 1851 Issue of United States Stamps: a Sesquicentennial Retrospective" authored by Dick Celler and Elliot Omiya about the production methods if you wanted to know more about this subject (and FYI -- I just posted a link to book in my last post -- which is available for free at the USPCS website).

On your South Berwick, ME cover with the double strike of the "unframed rate numeral 3" cancel -- a bit of philatelic trivia -- I am sure you already know that at one time, the original Scott catalog number for the 1851 3c imperforate stamp was Scott #33.

Regards // ioagoa

The Stamp Smarter Community projects strengths (and weaknesses) are that they are dependent upon the motivation of contributors. Ultimately the quantity and quality of a Stamp Smarter Community Project content is a reflection of those hobbyists who care enough about increasing interest in their specialty and are willing to share.

Unlike other references which often do not allow reuse of the images and content, Stamp Smarter Community Project content is owned by everyone. I am just a facilitator; I invested much time and money in developing the Community projects but do not feel comfortable in adding plating information myself.

Plating hobbyists are welcome to become contributors, it is as easy to add plating information to a Stamp Smarter project as it to make a post here.
Don

OK, I spent a few hours on this. I am clearly bad at it and my eyes are tired. The best match I found is 87R5E. Any chance that's right?

Hi rlsny --

Your stamp with the black New York OCT ? CDS cancel is not 87R5E.

-- Most notably, the RFL / RIL bends and relationship are off.

I would follow Harper's advice and use either the Chase photo's or StampPlating.coms search utility to methodically look at all B relief's with both inner lines recut and with GD's at LR on plates 1E and 1i -- and all B reliefs with GD's at LR on plates 2E, 5E, and 0 -- and make a list of anything that looks like a possible candidate based on the GD.


Next I would go back through the candidate list and look for the other plating characteristics and eliminate the possibilities one-by-one until you find a match.

If you do not find a match on any of the OB plates -- you either missed it -- or the stamp is not a #10A and the hunt will expand to the #11A plates.

Good luck -- and please keep us posted on your progress.

Regards // ioagoa

I spent some more time and I'm done. I don't have an answer, but I'm at the end of what I have patience for. I appreciate the help, but I'm done.

Hi rinsy,
Understand you are probably a little frustrated, these little stamps make me wanna pull all my hair out sometimes. But, could you do me a favor?
Can you rescan your OB stamp, but just the stamp?
I have a few ideas, I think you were close on plate 5E. What I'm looking for is a spot of color on the upper left quad of the "H" in THERE.
Thanks, appreciate it.
I think your stamp is a little over inked or it wasn't wiped good. So the ink spot in the first "E" of Three is just an anomaly.
Of course, I could be so far west I'm going east!!!

Don, I have several positions I have plated and confirmed with Ioagoa, ClassicCoin, Moyock13 and others that I think would be nice examples to add to the database. Please share the procedure for getting them uploaded. Is it just a matter or messaging you or other admins and attaching a high resolution version?

Please advise
Harper1249

rescan at 2400 dpi