1857-61 Perf 1 Cent Franklin

I am finding my grove - It took me so long to figure out the attachment issues (user error of course) that now - I feel compelled to get a couple of posts out there. Attaching what was listed as an 1857 #18 when I received it. I struggle with these particular stamps and am open to any confirmation/additional thoughts. Apologies for the pics - as good as I can seem to get them today and had to trim them tightly to get under 300Kb.

Cheers!

This stamp has the "relief error" under the "U" in US, so it is an "F" relief from Plate 4. Definitely not #18.

It must be either Type III, #21, IIIa, #22, Type 1a #19, or Type 1c #19b.
Stamp needs to be plated to determine which from above. Either way, this is one of the good ones.

Several platers on this board much better than I am, but there are several matches for this stamp to possibly be 95L4. IF that is the case, you will be one happy person.

I think that someone should move this topic over to the "Show your 1857 perforated stamps" topic, and the other platers will see this one. If I'm wrong, and I've been wrong before, sorry for the false alarm. If I'm right, wow!

Ray

I think Ray nailed it 95L4, type 1a

Is this stamp unused? Gum?

It is quite valuable even with poor centering especially if unused

Quite valuable even if used! For Brian, it does seem to be 95L4, which is a Type 1a, #19.

Check your Scott catalogue. My '23 shows $9500 if used, $42,500 if unused and $20,000 unused no gum.

Scoring a Type 1a is one of the best finds out there. Congratulations, again, I hope. Ray

I cannot thank you enough for your guidance! Funny thing - I have yet to look at the back of this stamp! Nervous to now!!! Again, thanks for the direction I will let you know what I see and send another pic most likely tomorrow. Again - thank you for the feedback!

Cheers!

Brian

TheBrian6603, may I suggest you post split pictures, meaning the top 55% and the bottom 55% (or left and right) when you can get the size below the 300KB. This will keep the details and full edges, especially for the tamp which started this thread.

Otherwise there are some ways to get the images under 300KB but this thread is not where to explain some of gaming one can do.

AND:



Edited to add:

Across the top of the pages are a number of buttons. Click on the "Search" button.
When search opens, type "using image optimizer" into the Google search this will return a number of pages of topics. Try reading the more recent ones and then go backward by date. You will need to eyeball the returns as they are not date sorted. This allows you to see the improvements noticed or made recently as compared to years ago.

Thank you Parcelpostguy - appreciate the advice around splitting the pic at 55% - I will get them updated with your approach. Ironically, I had spent quite some time earlier today searching through the slingshotvenus website and ended up with tired eyes after searching so many different plating options. I have since gone back and I am convinced - that the 95L4 is spot on! Grateful to have given up and reached out to this board! More to come...

Cheers!

Many years of reading the threads on this board… this stamp is one of the most valuable "discoveries " I have seen posted (or perhaps is the most valuable)

Many stamps with potential rarity are posted at SCF by treasure hunting collectors , but very few are real ( most are fakes and forgeries) and definitely do not have catalog value as high as this stamp.

I would like to see more pics! Gum, soundness? Are you planning to sell it?

Also would like to hear how you obtained it… did you randomly find it in some stamp lot? Or did you inherit it?

Good afternoon!

rgstamp - to answer a few of your questions, I actually purchased a lot a few months ago and this particular stamp was within the pages I received but was not even listed in the group of photos (it was a ma and pa kind of auction that was not stamp nor coin related).

What I did see and originally caught my eye was that one of the pages appeared to have a stamp in the group that was listed as a #85c and so that was my draw to it. When I received the stamps I took a glance, confirmed the #85c was there, was relieved to see it and I had set it aside until this weekend/Friday evening. It is currently hinged on the paper I received it on and from a quick glance, it does not appear to have gum from what I could see - an older hinge remnant and the current hinge.

I think it's realistic that I will plan to sell it - I appreciate its beauty, but a stamp of this caliber is overqualified for my collection! At least that is how I feel today. Attaching a few more pictures and added a few to a monitor so I could zoom in (might have left some odd lines/coloring but clear imaging).

Cheers!

If you wish to sell it, you may want a certificate first or if you consider Siegel's they will almost certainly be willing to secure the certificate prior to sale. There are other auction firms out there, but for this type of classic US, Siegel's has little to no equal.

Even if it turns out to be a Type 1c it is a great find. Congratulations!

Thank you rogdcam! This forum has been so helpful as I often rely on it as a resource for insights, but this was pretty exciting and takes the cake for certain.

Thanks for sharing. Congrats. Definitely has the markings 95L4.
Agree that cert will be needed if selling thru major auction house
It looks unused and is attractive. Maybe some toning on edges. I thought maybe that was a sign of regumming on back but sounds like you checked it out and there is no gum. Be careful taking it off the page and removing the hinge