Need Some Help On US 11 Plating

Hobson;
you had mentioned a calendar?
are you building a year set or a general year calendar with just the month and day?
I've always enjoyed doing one as it is a great way to collect cancels and the little stories that appear.
My best one complete is 1856 month/days as this is a leap year.
Dec 1856 page is my avatar.
Please update on what dates you might need as this forum probably has tremendous 'extras' as I do to help complete your project.
I have plated over half with a study on the 'backsides' as the various experts and owners marked them.

Pickastory,

Mine is just a general calendar with the month/days. It is complete (including a Feb 29 entry) but as always there is room for improvement. I am now up to May in terms of documenting the details such as margins, city/color of cancel, plating (when I feel confident that I can narrow it down to a reasonable search) and finally marking which ones are targeted for replacement. One will always remember when you are able to find that final piece of the puzzle, for me it was "February 10th". When that date showed up on ebay I made absolutely sure to be at the computer when that auction ended and you can be sure my bid was sufficient to cover any last minute snipers. I was at my in-laws and had to hole up in another room to avoid distractions when the time came and I was quite pleased when I returned victorious. Now all I had to do was depend on the PO for delivery. (Yikes)

I may take you up on your offer and post/share my list of potential replacement dates once I have worked my way through the full year.

Thanks for the input/feedback.
Hobsun

All,

New scanner on order and I continue my efforts until it arrives. This one seemed straight forward, Upper right guide dot with Inner frame line on right only so I gave it a shot. Good luck is that with those two things in play it narrowed it down to just a few potentials.

I was focused on the guide dot position and the strength of the inner line recut and several options were immediately removed. I settled in on 3L5E. Looking at the results this one seems to be a "C" relief which had I found that initially it would have zeroed in this position precisely. Still learning so if anyone wants to shed more light or confirm that would be appreciated.



Thanks as always.
Hobsun

Good call, Hobsun! 3L5E is correct.

The double transfer is visible in the top label block, most evident as a horizontal line in the left side of the E of POSTAGE.

If this was from the late state of the plate (3L5L), there would be rust marks near the top, which there are not.

Classic Coins,

Thanks for the input. I see what you are calling out at this point. With my two observations, the plating wizard online tool had narrowed it down to only 6 potentials and several were easy to remove. I will have to pay more attention to the shift/double transfers as I continue. To me the presence of Guide dots and ties to certain recuts at least gives me a chance. Without them, I flounder quite a bit. With your input I feel I can also pick out the PLate 4 items with a little more confidence.

Thanks again
Hobsun

You're welcome, Hobsun.

With stamps lacking guide dots, and with few recuts or other clues, viewing the side frame lines from a low angle, or with the compressed image technique on the previous page, will help narrow down the candidate positions significantly. Examining the spacing between the frame lines and the main design is also usually very helpful.

Back at it again,

This is the next one for investigation. I see it as Variety 8 having 1 extra line at right with two inner lines. This combination narrows it to 5 options - 58,68,78,88. and 98 L3.

Easy to remove
68 ruled out no lower right guide dot in mine
88 rules out no recut in upper left in mine

Likely removal
78 Bottom Frame Line Curves Upward and is Doubled Under THRE of THREE bottom - I detect no real doubling but it the line does appear to curve up.

Options
58 (relief A) & 98 (relief B) -I selected 58. Honestly in some cases the variance between these reliefs is tough to see. I think I see a notch in the top of the oval but not sure. Also I detect what I believe is a single large break in lower oval area. Unfortunately I also detect a weak boarder line at the right of the bust vs a stronger one expected or Relief A.

Once again, learning the ropes. I recognize I can also try to the compression concept regarding the framelines but have not gotten to that process yet. In direct visual comparison the right outer frameline in 58 seems to align more to my stamp than than the 98.



You might notice I moved away from calendar dated items to focus on a recent acquisition containing a number of recut varieties. I am working to confirm what the previous collector described although they did not actually plate the items. As always - any input/corrections are appreciated.
Hobsun

Nice stamp, Hobsun. 58L3 is correct!

I agree that the relief on some stamps can be tricky to identify, especially with the lower-quality printings.

Here's what I saw on 78L3 and 98L3 that helped eliminate those positions:

78L3 - The spacing left of the UL diamond block is wider, and the right inner line runs higher than on your stamp
98L3 - The right inner line runs well into the UR triangle

Classic Coins,

Thanks. I did notice the extra spacing on the 78L3 but convinced myself it was not enough of a factor. I did not catch the 98L3 extended inner line but once identified it does stand out. I will give the forum a break for a few days as I work on the page layout plans for my new items. I am keeping notes on the tips provided so progress should hopefully follow.

Hobsun

All,

Back to checking out recut varieties and trying to plate them. This one is recut Variety #9 with extra frameline at left and right frameline taking the place of the inner line. It has 6 possible positions 29/39/49/59/69/79 L3

My copy




My expected exclusions
29l3 - left frameline has a slight wiggle to it just above lower Rosette
39l3 - left inner line touches dots in lower rosette
69l3 - wider spacing between left frameline and extra line in center of stamp
79l3 - left frameline and extra line too close at top

My potentials
49l3 - not sure I can exclude it specifically, too bad the bottom is cut in and cannot tell if guide dot is present in lower right
59l3 - would be my pick based on overall spacing between the left frame line and the extra line

As always, happy to receive any feedback/corrections to my assessment.

Hobsun

Hi Hobsun,

Well done! 59L3 is correct!

I straightened your image then compressed it vertically with the Chase image of 59L3 to confirm it. The second and third line on the left bend toward each other in the middle, and this distinguished this position from the other candidate positions for me.

Classic Coins,

Thanks for quick reply. I continue to take notes and learn. Starting with items that have possibles that are limited in number helps make this less daunting.

Thanks again for your help.
Hobsun