Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

The stamp below on the left is 51L5L, and on the right is 52L5L. The Scott US Specialized lists position 51L5L as a minor plate crack position, but not 52L5L. However, the crack can be seen running from the top label block, through the upper-right diamond block of 51L5L, and faintly toward the upper left diamond block of 52L5L.

52L5L also shows an engraver's slip in the top frame line, and some rust spots straddling the top frame line.

Hi Classic --

After all the studying that has been done on the 3c imperf over many decades -- your eagle eye proves, yet again, that new discoveries remain to be found!

I just looked at 4 reference copies of 52L5L -- and 3 of them show the crack to varying degrees -- and one has absolutely no trace of the crack - anecdotally leading to the hypothesis that the crack expanded over time.

Thanks for posting this!

Regards // ioagoa

PS -- I suppose you could write a note to the editors of the Scott catalogue and have them add this position.

PPS -- I wonder if the position is scarcer with or without the crack? Would make for an interesting study if enough copies could be accumulated to show the progression of the crack?

PPPS -- a USPCS Chronicle notification may be in order here?

Edited to fix grammar typos

Hi, ioagoa,

Thanks for your kind comments, and the interesting notes on the possible growing crack.

I just happen to be setting aside some possible undocumented recutting varieties for a possible USPCS Chronicle article. I don't know if the extended crack would fit in, and it sure would by hard to show in print, but I appreciate the suggestions on this, and on notifying the Scott catalog publishers.

Regards, Classic Coins

Additional reading in the Scott Specialized shows a listing under 11A for what is called experimental orange brown on plate 1L. Is there some reference material that shows examples of these stamps compared with the other color options?

Update: I found some references on the plating site. I'll start with that.

New patient. My first attempt is that this is 44R6. Agree? Or should I try again?

Nicholas C, Nice stamp. It's nice to find C Relief stamps that aren't from the top row of a given plate.
I won't comment on the plate position, I'm no more advanced at plating than yourself.

Classic Coins, I hope you do write an article for the Chronicle. I would like to read it.

Hi, NicholasC,

I confirmed that your plating to position 44R6 is correct. Nice job with that one!

Hi, stampcrow,

I appreciate your encouragement on writing an article for the Chronicle.

Here's another new patient. This one is just awful because the entire ride side including most of the LRDB is gone.

The only characteristics I can possibly tell are:
- seems to be Relief B
- probably not orange brown (so not 10 or 10A)
- there is a stamp above and a stamp below, so would not be in first or last row
- there is at least one inner line, but probably 2
- possible that there is no stamp to the left so that would be column 1

Thoughts?

Hi Nicholas C --

A couple of additional observations on your stamp --

-- As you noted -- the stamp looks like a B relief

-- There is 1 vertical line recut in the ULT

-- The upper half of the URDB does not appear to be gouged -- which would eliminate 198 of the 200 positions on plate 1L (i.e., there are 2 positions on plate 1L where the URDB was not gouged out -- namely 63R1L and 64R1L).

-- Preliminarily, the overall strength of the recutting looks like either plate 2L or 3 -- and much less likely, plate 5L (but, that said, plate 5L cannot be eliminated on that basis alone).

-- Small portions of the adjoining stamps -- both above and below -- show a misalignment at the left margin -- and this can be a useful feature in plating -- presuming of course that the reference material is cut wide enough to show the areas of misalignment.

Bottom line -- I would check the 2 positions on plate 1L referenced above -- and then start the hunt on plates 2L and 3 -- B reliefs, 1 line in the ULT. The upper end of the LIL barely touches 1 dot in the ULR -- so you may want to use that as a feature to quickly eliminate possibilities -- or to create a "short list" of candidates for further study.

Regards // ioagoa

@iogoa, thanks. What do you think of 87L3? My stamp looks quite a bit like the color image on the plating site. It's really hard to tell with the Chase image. The Chase image seems really heavily inked. The images on the Stamp Smarter site also look like a match.

Hi Nicholas C --

I confirmed that your plating to position 87L3 is correct. Nicely done!

As a further confirming feature -- the misalignments visible in the left margin between your patient stamp and the adjoining stamps both above and below are a solid match.

The misalignment at bottom left can be seen on the Chase photo stamp -- and on the StampSmarter website, the stamp with the New York MA(R) 24 cds cancellation shows the misalignment at the top left.

Regards // ioaoga

@ioagoa, thank you once again for the confirmation.

I had also noticed all the misalignment samples, but because multiple samples needed to be referenced, I thought it too much to add to my last post. Guess I really should add everything possible. I'll do that going forward.

@Classic Coins, My apologies, I forgot to thank you as well for confirming the 44R6. You are one of the many valuable resources in this thread.

You're welcome, NicholasC.