Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

The compression trick Classic Coins showed us a while back is very helpful, but I will caution. If the stamp has any abnormal distortions due to creases or paper distortions it will affect the outcome.

I compressed Richards stamp that ioagoa plated to 58R1 e or i


Compare that with the compressed 58R1i


Notice the difference in the left frame line? This is due to some distortion of the stamp or envelop sometime in the past.

Thanks ioagoa

Thanks for posting the compressed images to help support the plating, Moyock13. The way the right inner line is a little thicker near the top and seems to end way short of the UR triangle is quite distinct!

Edit: Corrected image attribution

From the last group of 4 that I posted:

10A - Graded 85, plated as 22L5E.
10A - Graded 90, This looks like 68R5E to me.
10A - Graded 95 - 88L5E
11 - Graded 98 - still unplated.

Some of these are so hard to narrow down and I just don't have the time to sort through hundreds of examples. :(

88L5E looks to be correct. The portion of the stamp on the left matches up with 87L5E nicely. As you pointed out, the recut in the lower right triangle looks to match. Also, the slight extension of outer frame lines in the lower right corner (bottom and right) and the slight bending out of the right inner frame line at the upper right rosette match up with other examples of 87L5E.

Harper1249

Edited to get my left and rights correct.

Mootermutt, thanks for your comment. I have not used the compression trick, although I've seen it used. I dont have access to the compressed version of all the positions, so I would have to practically plate the stamp first, then compress both the newly plated syamp as well as the reference position and compare them. By that time, I've already plated it and I'm just using the trick to verify the plating that I've already done.

I guess it would be easier if I already had the compressed files for comparison.

I think it would be extremely helpful to have a set of scans of all of the guide dots for each sheet. But, that sounds like a lot of work to create.

Stan

Harper1249, I appreciate your response.

I used the stampplating wizard to find the stamps with the single line recut in the LR corner, and then compared the stamps to the right of those that matched this one.

That Jumbo margin sure helped!

Stan

Stan
3 cent guide dots are being gathered and compiled here https://stampsmarter.org/features/S...Plating.html (click on Guide dot tab)

1 cent guide dots are here https://stampsmarter.org/features/S...Plating.html
Don

Wow!!!

Thanks!!

Hi stanshepp --

I wanted to follow-up on one of the #10A's that you posted here yesterday -- more specifically the stamp with the red circular grid cancel -- graded 90 -- and that you thought might be 68R5E -- but for which you commented "that the Chase and Lund images were less than adequate to be 100% certain".

I plated your stamp this morning and it is actually position 26L5E -- a couple of comments:

-- 68R5E has a very bold GD -- almost looks like a dash of color -- protruding down from the BFL. Not visible on the Lund stamp as it is cut-in -- and although very boldly visible on the Chase stamp -- as the photo is in black and white -- given the odd shape of the GD, it could easily be mistaken for a splash of cancel ink.

-- 68R5E also has a DT -- most visible at the 3:00 - 3:30 position in the white oval surrounding the vignette -- where the cross-hatching of the vignette impinges into the white space of the medallion oval. This shows very well on the Lund copy -- but unless you know exactly where to look is very difficult to see on the Chase photo.

-- 26L5E is an inter-pane B relief with a missing GD and no DT.

I am confident that your stamp is 26L5E -- as everything is a solid matchup to both Chase, Lund, and my 2 copies. In addition to all the usual plating characteristics matching up -- there is a weak spot in the LFL at "lip level" -- which further confirms your stamp as 26L5E.

Very nice stamp by the way -- and thanks for showing it.

Regards // ioagoa

Ioagoa,

Your work in plating this stamp is greatly appreciated. I will take a closer look at it when I get back to my office on Monday.

Stan

26L5E is a great match!! Thanks again!

I have a place for that. I already had a 26L5E. This one comes with the Amonette notes.


Seems like a perfect match. Especially with the break in the left frame line. It has been moved to the proper place and the position noted on the cert.

Stan Shepp

Good evening all. I have plated this one to 55R7 and was hoping folks could confirm it. If its is 55R7, I'll upload it to the SSD. Unique features of this stamp are the inward bow of the recut right frame line that causes a faint doubling to occur about half way up, the right frame line extends up beyond the top frame line and you can just see the LR guide dot of position 45R7 near the top right corner of the image.

Thanks in advance,
Harper1249

Hi Harper --

I agree that your stamp with the black Philly MAR x2 cds is position 55R7.

That said -- differences in inking, impression, and plate wear between your stamp, the Chase stamp, the Lund stamp, and my own copy of the position are interesting -- especially the white spacing in a couple of spots between the RFL and the design -- and also the fact that the RFL relief line stands out the best on your copy. Consequently, as an abundance of caution, after checking all A reliefs on plates 6 and 7, I am confident that you nailed this one. Very nicely done!

I am attaching a scan of my 55R7 for your additional reference -- which I cropped to capture the BFL of the adjoining 45R7 above -- (albeit reduced to 250kb to comply with the SCF file size limit). Note that the key plating features at UR that you mentioned in your post (i.e., extended RFL at top, GD on 45R7 above, full relationship of the BFL of 45R7 to the TFL of 55R7, and the alignment between positions 45R7 and 55R7 -- are all a nice match to your copy).

Regards // ioagoa


Additional reference scan of 55R7 -- cropped to capture the BFL of the adjoining 45R7 above:

Thanks Ioagoa for the confirmation and reference scan. I ended up going through all the A reliefs on 6 and 7 as well.

harper1249

Listed in Scott's Specialized Catalogue are the 'damaged transfers above the lower left rosette' used for the perforated 3c Washingtons. Also included are the repaired transfers, and transfers that were repaired in both areas.

Chase says, "Relief A-Used for the top row on all these plates, can be distinguished easily, as it became damaged evidently before it was used at all. This damage shows on the finished stamps as a white or nearly white space at the outer edge of the lower · end of the band of tessellated work to the left of the medallion. This space is roughly 1 mm in diameter, and is located so that if a horizontal line were drawn touching the outer row of dots at the top of the lower left rosette it
would pass directly through the center of it. This white space was so conspicuous that on certain plates, perhaps a third of those made for the Type II stamps, part of all of the impressions on the plates showing it, were touched up by hand. This occurred on Plate 10 (right pane only), Plate 11 (both panes), No 1 in the left pane of Plate 20, Plate 20 (right pane), No 1 in the left pane of Plate 24, and on both panes of Plate 25; while Plate 10 (left pane only), Plate 20 (left pane excepting No 1), Plate 23 (both panes), Plate 24 (both panes, excepting No 1 in the left pane), Plate 27 (right pane), and Plate 28 (right pane), were not touched up by hand. I am unable to tell which of the plates not mentioned were recut, not having seen complete panes. This touching up consisted of a more or less successful attempt to imitate · the missing tessellated work. Because it was done by hand, no two examples are absolutely alike. Occasionally it was done so carefully that it is difficult to tell whether or not a certain stamp comes from a position on the plate that has been repaired, but usually they are easily identified. The break and three typical examples of this retouching are shown in Figure 23."

I have an example of a 3c Washington from the top row that appears to have both areas of damage repaired. It also appears to me to possibly be a #26A. Not because the outside frame lines stop at the top of the stamp (they stop at the top of every top row example), but because of the inconsistencies of the outside frame lines.

Chase's book gives us a 1940's quality black and white photo image of the examples that he discusses. I am hoping that someone here has a better example - especially position 10R11 - which is the #26A version of the double damage/double repair relief.

If anyone has an example of the 10R11, I would love to see it so that I can compare it to the example at hand. If you are knowledgeable enough to know that this is not that position, and you know what position it is, I would also appreciate having a confirming copy of that position.

Here are some images of what I have.





Thanks in advance!
Stan Shepp