Help Identifying 1¢ Franklin

New to collecting, so please bear that in mind.

The first variety (#552) was issued in 1923 and has a perforation guage of 11 all the way around.

The second variety (#581) was issued in 1922 and has a perforation guage of 10 all the way around.

The third variety (#632) was issued in 1927 and has a perforation guage 11 at the sides and perf guage 10½ on the top and bottom.

When I count the perforations on this stamp I am seeing 12 vertical and 11 horizontal (?).

Am I counting wrong? Any help would be appreciated.

Just one other thing. There are green specs of ink on the back of the stamp, leading me to believe it's a flat plate printing and a 552.

"Perf 10" Means there are 10 perforations per 2 cm. You do not count perfs. You need a perforation gauge to measure perforations. You should buy one if you plan to collect stamps, but you can also print one out Your stamp looks like a perf 11. I love those sideographer initials!

Thanks. You reply was like an epiphany. I agree, the double sideographer initials are pretty cool.

If there is green ink on the back you are correct on the flat plate printing. That's a great piece.

The size and position of the sheet margins give it away as a flat plate stamp. No rotary stamp ever had margins like this on two sides. Also the initials.

hac5x3, you are mostly on track and your post shows you have done your homework very well as a beginner.

As pointed out by others, perforations are gauged, not counted.

Perforations are listed in the catalog with the rate of the top/bottom, then the sides, thus the "third variety" you mention in your original post would be 11 x 10.5 instead. This issue of stamps can be confusing in the catalog with both vertical and horizontal stamps. They are going to be 11 along the short edge and 10.5 along the long edge.

The initials: Plates of this era will typically have 2 sets of initials, the sideographer in the lower left corner and the plate finisher in the lower right. Your stamp shows two plate finishers F.A.G. (Frank A. Green) and C.H.R. (Charles H. Roll). The February 1969 issue of "The United States Specialist" published by the Bureau Issues Association (Now the Unites States Stamp Society), has a substantial list of the initials and the corresponding names, from which this ID is taken. They add considerably to the value.