1¢ Franklin Issue of 1851 Plate 2 Intro

1¢ Franklin Issue of 1851-1857, PLATE 2
Introduction.

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12 Plates of Fun
The 1c plate-making process was further complicated by reentries and double transfers, wear over many thousands of impressions, the development of cracks and flaws in the metal, the reworking of the first plate used, and the need to accommodate perforations in 1857. Over ten years a total of 12 plates were made and one plate (Plate 1) was reentered and recut to improve its worn appearance. Plates 1 (Early) and 3 produced imperforate stamps exclusively. Plates 1 (Late) and 2 produced imperforate stamps for the most part, but sheets from these two plates were also perforated. Plate 4, used only in 1857, produced a small quantity of imperforate stamps and a large portion of the perforated stamps issued from July to December 1857. Plates 5 through 12 produced perforated stamps exclusively. Plate 6 was produced but was never used to print stamps as, no stamps from Plate 6 have ever been identified. Researchers believe Plate 6 was damaged while it was being made.

It's All About Details
The designated types of 1c stamps are based on the resulting printed design after the die-to-relief-to-plate transfer process and the alterations made to the plate entries (principally burnishing and recutting). Philatelists look for certain features: Is the design complete? Is it complete just at top or bottom? Are the outer lines intact or broken? Were the outer lines recut? The rarity and value of 1c 1851-61 stamps are determined by the types and variations produced by 2,400 different subjects on 12 plates (including Plate 1 Late) over a decade. Because specific types, or Scott numbers, are produced by a certain number of positions on one or more plates, the quantity produced of any particular Scott number relates directly to the quantity printed from the corresponding plate or plates.

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Update 10/4/06