1d Red Plate 22 Identification and Plating Guide

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1d Red Die 1, Plate 22 and Plate 23 - Identification and Plating Guide

Introduction:

This CD includes two scans for each of the 240 positions for each Plate, one @ 360dpi which can be used for quick a comparison of Check Letter positions and another composite scan @ 1200 dpi (or @ 600dpi in a few instances) to show detail such as VGLs, Die Dots, Basal Shifts etc. The detailed scans also include descriptive text which provides relevant and immediate reference data to help identify or confirm that a particular stamp is from Plate 22 or 23.

For direct comparison of stamps we suggest that a scan of your own stamp (taken @ 360dpi) and the appropriate scan from the CD are each opened into individual windows using Microsoft Paint or any similar image viewing program, then select and copy one of the images so that it can be pasted into the window of the other image for a side-by-side or an overlaid comparison.

The 480 Check Letter positions on the CD have been checked against (and scans taken from) our extensive stock which includes Dr. Kenneth William Statham’s working reconstruction of Plates 22 & 23 and other part Reconstructions also against scans from other sources including some from the excellent Johnny Johnson Reconstruction of Plates 22 & 23 and from scans provided by other Dealers or Collectors. There are no imprimatur sheets of Plates 22 or 23 for comparison, as such we (where possible) discounted other Plates by comparison to the relevant imprimatur photos of those Plates.

Plate 22

By clicking on any of the check letter positions in the grid below you are able to open a 360dpi image of the stamp or ( if clicking on detail ) open a detailed 1200 dpi image. Each image will open in a separate window within your default web browser, you may open more than one image at a time to allow easy comparison.

detail

BI state 2

BI state 2 detail

AA/DB Block of eight (Mark Bloxham Stamps)

General Observations for plate 22

Die Dot: Is to be found in the Left Margin approx ¼mm from the Left side of the Printing and level with the base of the Queen’s bottom lip. There are often similar, but incidental, dots to be seen in this region and care should be exercised in determining which, if any, is a Die Dot. We believe it is possible to find printings from most positions that will show this minute feature (extremely Weak to Strong) however, it is a feature that is subject to Wear so the lack of the Die Dot should not be given great significance. As such we have not included its presence or lack thereof as a characteristic but we have highlighted its position on a few images to show examples for reference purposes only.

Line Breaks to Top of N/E square: To avoid any confusion we have adopted the description “Double Break” (good example to be seen in the image for position JA ) for Check Letter positions AA-JH - as used by Dr Statham (The Essential Guide to the GB Line Engraved 1d & 2d Stars 1840-1864 Vol. 3) and as suggested by the illustrations found in The Plating of The Penny 1840-1864 Vol. 1 (Fisher/Brown). However, some printings (see images BJ, EB and EF) show a weakness that would be better classified as a Triple or Multiple Break. It is also worth noting that the “Single Break” generally attributed to Check Letter positions JI to TL can be indistinct on some Printings and shows only as a Weakness on others.

Vertical and Horizontal Guide Line (VGL & HGL): Fine hairlines were lightly scribed onto the Plate to provide a placement grid of 240 individual rectangles over which to centre the transfer roller to ensure impressions would be in straight lines (vertically and horizontally). As we know most impressions were not perfectly placed and this resulted in the scribed lines being included in areas of the design. For the most part these lines would be lost during the removal of “Burr” (by scraping and burnishing) but it was not possible to clean away those traces which were inadvertently included within the design without affecting the surrounding detail. So these were left and many show on some printed stamps as guidelines. VGLs can often be seen in the N/E and (less common) S/E squares, traces can also be found (to varying extent) in the Border Network between the N/E and S/E squares. HGLs are not so common on Plate 22 but if present they would likely appear approximately level with the top of the value. Guide Dots such as the “L” Row Guide Dots (Punched dots used to delineate the position for the horizontal hairlines) often show a very fine, small part, HGL attached (difficult to see on many Printings).

Misplaced Check Letters: There are many misplaced letters to be found on this plate - not surprising when considering the very small size of the Check Letter Punch and the Check Letter squares themselves. It was extremely difficult to ensure perfect placement and it was not until some time later that the long handle Punch holder (with it’s head of a size equal to the Check Letter square) was introduced.

Leaning (Tilted) Check Letters: references to direction of lean (East or West) refer to the direction in which the top of the letter is leaning or tilted towards.

Basal Shifts: AE and MJ exhibit moderate evidence of this Base Line variety, however, some of the other positions (i.e. FC, OE, OJ and TB) exhibit only a very slight thickening to the Base line with a weak doubling of the Base to one or more corner square, we have suggested these as “slight” Basal Shifts. Some of these are oblique (where the relief on roller has been sunk/rolled into the plate at a very slight angle to the main impression creating some separate detail which then merges into the main impression at some point). Others have attributed such doubling to a Low HGL, however, the positions of the “L” Row Guide Dot on this plate (mostly at a level equal to the top of the value) might be considered as a reason to question this attribution.

Fresh Entry: QB & TA are examples where the transferred impression was clearly misplaced, this original impression was then removed by burnishing and a new impression (Fresh Entry) rocked in. Traces of these original misplaced impressions (not effectively cleaned away) show up on the subsequently printed stamps.

A very big thank you to those who supplied scans and advice, especially to Mr R. Cassell and Mr S. Treacey also to Mr Mark Bloxham, Mr M. Jenkins, Mr M. Roberts, Mr T. Slemons and Mr I. Wright. With a very special thank you to Mr A. Claridge and to Mr G. Holmes.

Plate 23

detail

QG-RH block (4)

General Observations for plate 23

Line Breaks to Top of N/E square: Multiple/Triple Break present on all 240 positions of this Plate.

Vertical and Horizontal Guide Line (VGL & HGL): Fine hairlines were lightly scribed onto the Plate to provide a placement grid of 240 individual rectangles over which to centre the transfer roller to ensure impressions would be in straight lines (vertically and horizontally). As we know most impressions were not perfectly placed and this resulted in the scribed lines being included within areas of the design. For the most part these lines would be lost during the removal of “Burr” (by scraping and burnishing) but it was not possible to clean away those traces which were inadvertently included within the design without affecting the surrounding detail. So these were left and many show on some printed stamps as guidelines. The VGLs in the N/E and S/E squares of this Plate are generally Weak, traces may also be found (to varying extent) in the Border Network between the N/E and S/E squares. HGLs are not common on this Plate but if present they would likely appear approximately level with the top of the value. Guide Dots such as the “L” Row Guide Dots (Punched dots used to delineate the position for the horizontal hairlines) often show a very fine, small part, HGL attached (difficult to see on many Printings).

Misplaced Check Letters: There are many misplaced letters to be found on this Plate - not surprising when considering the very small size of the Check Letter Punch and the Check Letter squares themselves. It was extremely difficult to ensure perfect placement and it was not until some time later that the long handle Punch holder (with its head of a size equal to the Check Letter square) was introduced. In respect to notes on centered positions of Check Letters, these are opined on optical appearance and often ignore the influence of any Serifs.

Blurs in Check Letter squares: being subject to wear these numerous blurs are not necessarily a constant (as noted in The Essential Guide to GB Line 1d & 2d Stars 1840-1864 – Kenneth William Statham) although many of them do appear to be present on the majority of Printings.

Weak Right side and Base to S/E square: being a general characteristic of this plate we have only noted examples that exhibit significant Weakness (many Printings show a similar Weakness in the Base of the S/W square).

Weakness/Break in Base Line: We have seen reference made by others to malformed 2^nd “N” of PENNY (or similar) associated with this plate however, many printings show a Roller Flaw (a minute crack, scratch or indent in the raised design of the transfer roller resulting in a breach within the impressed line on printing plate) which in this instance presents as a Weakness/Break in the Base line below the bottom of the diagonal stroke of the second N of PENNY (see AJ , BC & LK). This flaw is not unique to this Plate and it’s appearance is subject to a degree inconstancy among examples of the same position from the same Plate. Such inconstancy could be subject to a heavy inking (small flaws can be disguised as the transferred ink creeps across the wet paper) or subject to clogged ink around a breach of the impressed line (clogging of dried ink etc., around such a breach will create a raised section that will no longer hold wet/fluid ink) or it can be subject to wear (the breach may be latent and as such will not be apparent on early printings but it becomes more obvious as the Plate wears) – being common to many Plates we do not regard the presence of this Flaw as a useful plating characteristic but we have highlighted some examples for reference only.

Weak/Missing Right Serif to “J”: The majority of letter “J” from the horizontal J Row exhibit this defect however it is not obvious (with possible exceptions of FJ and MJ) among the letter “J” of the vertical J Row.

Leaning (Tilted) Check Letters: references to direction of lean (East or West) refer to the direction in which the top of the letter is leaning or tilted towards.

Upper Border Shifts: a number of positions from the horizontal D and E rows (DJ to EL - excluding EA and only very slight on EH and EI) exhibit thickened Top Lines. These have been categorised as a Shifted Transfer and were possible due to excessive upward pressure (or, considering the grouping, maybe the plate or roller had loosened) during the rocking in of the impressions on these horizontal rows (good examples being DL, EB, and EJ). The effect is particularly noticeable at the Top Line of the N/E corner square which shows as distinctly thicker than normal whilst retaining the Multiple Break. Some of these impressions also exhibit slightly thickened Corner Star detail, especially the Major Rays.

Basal Shifts: a number of positions (perhaps more than previously documented – including OD, OL and QH ) exhibit irregular thickening of the Base Line below ONE P and NNY of the Value in most instances the Base Line below E of PENNY is normal, these have been categorised as a Shifted Transfer.

Fresh Entry: None recorded for this Plate

A sincere thank you to those who supplied scans, especially to Mr A. Claridge, Mr M. Roberts and Mr S. Treacey also to Mr D. McGill and Mr M. Jenkinson, we would also like to thank Mr G. Holmes for his technical assistance.