Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

Nice variety, Stephen! Nice margins, too.

I re-scanned the 71R4 (lower label block connected) from the previous page with adjusted color settings to show it closer to its true deep claret color, and put a brownish carmine stamp on the scanner next to it for color contrast. The brownish carmine stamp happens to be an upper label block connected to the upper-right diamond block variety.

To go with the 1L2 you posted on the perforated thread, here is a 1-2-3L2 strip.

Ignore the silly '2R2' some uninformed person wrote on the cover.



This is the only scan I have handy of this, hopefully, you can blow up the stamps a bit and see the 1L2 variety detail above the stamp.

Beautiful cover TX. Got me thinking about this one. With help from the community the strip of 3 is 12 -14R2 and 4th stamp (single) I just treat as unplateable (by me anyways)

txstamp, That's a beautiful big crack cover. It's interesting how someone cut the stamps apart, then carefully adhered them back together.

stallzer, I like the balanced margins on the strip of three on your cover. Very nice cover.

The thing thats great about Stallzer's cover is the franking.

Its a cover with the extra 1c stamp paying the carrier fee for carrying "to the mails". Usually that's paid with a 3c + 1c stamp.

Very seldom is it paid with four 1c stamps.

Interesting frankings are a big deal in collecting usages on cover.

Well said, txstamp. An interesting franking, indeed.

Keeping with the cover discussion, here's one mailed from Alexandria, Virginia to Washington City, DC, then forwarded to Frederick, Maryland.

The stamps appear to be a plate 4 orange red over a plate 5L pale claret.

Found another cover I thought you all might like to see:
1856 enameled ladies' cover from Minnesota to New York.
Stamp is supposedly 93L7

I am a man of many talents. Unfortunately, plating is not one of them.
Anyone want to give it a try?
Thanks
ChipG

OK, one more for today.
These are more interesting for the collars around the stamps (very early examples of "stamp collars." I wrote them and others up in an article for the USPCS Chronicle recently. (If your'e reading this thread, you probably should join the USPCS - www.uspcs.org

Chip - nice collars. Your article probably showed about all the known imperf collars.

I had the 1c Detroit one for some time. Great drop cover.

edit: For the benefit of readers these collars with imperf 51s are legitimately rare.

chipg -- on your 3c imperf with the blue AUG 11 Concord, NH cds -- is there any docketing verso or perhaps an enclosure that dates the cover? Initially, the scan did not look orange brown to me -- and the stamp is definitely a "no inner line, relief A" -- and with relatively weak LFL and stronger BFL -- all of which points to plate 4. The stamp clearly has a recut URDB which rules out plates 6, 7, and 8 (and YES,I eliminated the one and only position on plate 6 with a recut URDB as an abundance of caution). Should be easy one as the stamp has an open corner at UR and a recut URDB that is fairly distinctive (as the recut slants at an upward angle toward the TFL). That said, I made 2 go-arounds through plate 4 and even though the color and impression do not look OB in the scan, also made quick pass through the no inner line A's on 1E and 1i -- and cannot find it. Will try again when my eyes have had a rest, but in the meantime, if you have any indication of date of usage, please advise.

ioaga - sorry. No contents or docketing on the Water Cure cover. The color of the scan is fairly accurate - a deep, rich color. Also can see most of the hair. My gut says it's an orange brown, but I'm as good with shades as I am with plating.

Thanks for trying.
Chip

Chip -- thanks for the follow-up on contents / docketing -- at this point -- despite how the color appears on my monitor -- I believe that your stamp is a Scott #10 -- as I am confident that it is not from plate 4 -- nor is is the one and only position on plate 6 with a recut URDB -- consequently, as it has no inner lines in combination with a recut URDB -- the only other remaining possibilities are either plate 1E or 1i. That said, I have narrowed it down to being from 1 of two positions -- and have sent a copy of your scan to a fellow 3 cent student for confirmation. Stay tuned -- as more to follow on this one once I get it nailed down.