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Glossary of Terms |
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Letter to the Editor (August 2003) | |
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Aug 14, 2003 |
Dear Sir, Regarding my review of The Two Cent Stamp of the Small Bank Note Issue of 1890 by Richard Morris that appeared in the June Specialist, p. 281: Transfer Rolls Mr. Morris has stated that to make the 272 plates it required 86,800 applications of a relief roll and that he believed as many as five rolls may have been used. This may not be true. One or two properly hardened rolls would have sufficed. The Perkins Bacon records of the British penny red indicated that a properly prepared roll could produce up to 100,000 impressions before needing reentry. The Boston Revenue Book discussion of the Butler Carpenter production stated production of 50,000 impressions was standard. Both of these sources were cited in my discussion of Black Jack production in Stamp Collector July 25, 1987. Consequently only one or two transfer rolls would have been needed if properly hardened to make all the 2¢ red plates. Of course one or more of the 2¢ red small banknote transfers was not properly hardened, which is why Morris was able to write a monograph. Color None of the lake plates (EKU 2/22/90 cover from Newark, N.J. and off-cover pair endorsed 2/22/90 Wanamaker PMG) are reported to have transfer flaws and Brookman indicated the lake plates comprised about half the total plates used. The lake shades can be found on any of the first 36 plates that went to press (to plate L62) and, according to Eliot Landau's U.S. Stamp Facts, can also be found on plates OO214 and YY263 (found as a plate proof in the Siegel 1890 Specialized sale 2/3/76 lot 19), based on the Durland Plate Number Catalog. The late plates may well be the result of an inadvertent laking of the dark carmine shades. The carmine shades reported from early plates in U.S. Stamp Facts are probably the result of insufficient laking; it appears regularly by plate RR226 (lot 89 in the Siegel 1890 Specialized sale). What is found on the lake 219D stamps are a number of double transfers (particularly in and around the word UNITED), relief break L (the only one found on the 219D), numerous scratches (at least 9 different have been found). Transfer Flaws Morris did not report the plate numbers where the various transfer flaws were discussed. The earliest plates where these are recorded appear to be TT235-239 (400 positions each with four plate number strips per plate, two top and two bottom) where the capped left 2 and the E transfer flaw are found. Plates were made in groups of five and unlike earlier stamps, the highest number of the five appears to have been laid down first. This observation is based upon the way in which the capped 2s appear. Plate TT239 is known to have the E transfer flaw with the shoulder break and a baby cap on the left 2. Covers with stamps showing the E transfer are known on April 12, 1892, five months before the covers bearing a capped 2 stamp. The cap on left 2 comes from plate TT236 according to Bob Ladd in Stamp Wholesaler 5/11/79 (11 positions out of 400), TT235 (400 positions), VV249 (200 positions), VV248 (200 positions) and VV246 (132 positions out of 200). The first covers from the capped 2 plates are known by 9/15/92. A full lower left pane of TT235 with the single capped 2s was offered as lot 1496 in the Siegel Drucker sale of 2/27/2003. The cap on left 2 appears on a used stamp with a double transfer through the UNITED STATES P portion of the label reported by Fred Pitcher to Cloudy French, probably from plate TT236 or VV246. The double transfer seems similar to the right stamp in a strip of five reported by him as well. Mr. Ladd also stated that the caps on both 2s come from plate VV246 (68 positions out of 200) and VV245 (all 200 positions, lot 90 in the aforesaid Siegel 1890 Specialized sale) while caps on the left 2 are found on plates VV246 (both varieties)-248 (200 positions each with four plate number strips, two top and two bottom). This information shows that the plates in each group of five were transferred in reverse order, e.g. 236 before 235, and 249 and 248 before 246. Covers with stamps showing the caps on both 2s are found two weeks after the covers showing only the cap on the left stamp. Looking at the above data means there may be as yet unidentified breaks and caps on plates TT238 and TT237 with the E group of flaws showing on these plates as well. The rare cap on the right 2 only, reliefs G and H, discussed by Morris was earlier reported on a triple transfer used single with a straight edge at right and with a double transfer, to the lower left, on both numerals and the vignette oval at lower left, while another double transfer is found in the upper left in and above the word UNITED. Morris reported an example with relief H on a cover dated March 26, 1893. No one has documented the plate from which either of these right cap only reliefs might come and Morris does not comment about a straight edged example or double transfers on the left side; he illustrated only the bottom right corner. Limited Number of Transfer Flaw Plates The two major transfer flaw groups are known on earlier covers than the capped 2s - the progressive C group (known by 2/16/92) and the E transfer from plate TT239 by 4/12/92. However by plate I1-311 (Siegel May 16, 2003 sale lot 1399) there is no indication of a transfer flaw so that presumably the damaged transfer roll has been replaced. To me this data adds up to a total of two transfer rolls, one of which was used and damaged by plates 235-239 and a second that replaced it before plate I1-311 was entered. Plate N1-337 (Shreve Donaldson sale lot 391 3/7/97) seems to confirm this lack of damage continued on the later plates. All recorded transfer flaws are on a small group of about ten plates. Sincerely, |
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