Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

That is close.
Horizontal spacing and vertical alignment are often useful plating aids.

Harper, that shows me how nice it is to have 4 margin stamps.
Beauty

I've often thought of buying 4-margin stamps for plating, as "cheating".

Of course I'm only joking, but by comparison, the collector with a collection of 1-2 margin stamps will have a lot harder path, and very possibly become a terrific plater. I know that's what happened with Dick Celler. He started out on a modest budget and got very good at this as a result.

Well tx, you give me hope

One of those 3 center's that just doesn't have a lot going on. Seems that frame lines are the only real clue.

31L6 (?)

Hi Moyock --

I took a look at your stamp -- and it is not 31L6.

It is definitely an A relief -- and the FL's scream plates 6 or 7.

Key search features are as follows:

-- There is a GD sitting on top of the BFL of the adjoining stamp above.

-- The RFL stops short of the TFL -- and the TFL extends past the trajectory of where the RFL would have intersected had is not stopped short.

-- The bends in the TFL are very distinctive -- as is the relationship of the TFL to the BFL of the adjoining stamp above.

The Chase photos show all of the above features fairly clearly.

I can reveal the position or confirm your plating -- whichever you prefer.

Regards // ioagoa

Thanks ioagoa, really appreciate your mentoring. I was thinking this was a plate 6 or 7 stamp. The frame lines are the character in this particular stamp. Revisiting with your advice I've narrowed to 71R7. Like you said the GD on the LFL of the stamp above is clearer on the Chase image.

Thanks ioagoa.

Hi Moyock -

Nicely done -- 71R7 is confirmed!

Regards // ioagoa

I don't collect this stamp issue, and don't have the eyesight to consider the plating art, but I do occasionally encounter an interesting cover. This cover was spotted on Delcampe today, and I thought it might be of interst to one of the regulars on this thread.



The link to the listing is:https://www.delcampe.net/en_US/coll...m=email#zoom

The strip of four seem to be both from the bottom row and the lower right corner. Should be easy to plate.

Mike

Greetings all. Is the example below showing plate wear or a dry/poor impression? Its looks like a decent impression so Im leaning towards plate wear. Recut areas seem to be holding the most ink. Position 34R1L by the way.

Regards,
Harper1249

Hi Harper --

Definitely plate wear -- as you noted "the recut areas seem to be holding the most ink" -- which makes sense as those recut grooves are deeper into the plate than the transferred design. As the plate wears, both get weaker, and the recuts tend to stand out more from the normal design.

Overall, a nice impression given the "worn" state of the plate -- which is more likely than not around mid 1854 -- as by late 1854 and into early 1855 the plate was showing significantly more wear.

Regards // ioagoa

This is exactly what one sees on Plate 1-Late of the 1c stamp as well.

Into 1854, plate 1L impressions started getting pretty "dirty", and they appear to have cleaned the plate; presumably with some sort of acid-wash. With later 1854 impressions, one starts to see notable wear on the plate. By 1855, the recut lines really start to stand out from everything else.

Okay I'll bite which are the recut lines?

Just sharing:

Scott #11 - Graded XF-S 95 by PSE
Appears to be position 88L8.

Stan Shepp

Stan - 88L8 looks to be the correct position. A very fine specimen as usual.

3193zd - There are a number of recuts associated with this position but my posted specimen isn't the best at showing them all. Having said that, the recuts I was referencing are in the upper diamond blocks and the upper label block. Specifically the upper left side of the upper left diamond block, the left side of the upper label block, the upper right corner of the label block and the upper half of the upper right diamond block. Hope this helps.

Harper1249