History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of AmericaTiffany, John K. (John Kerr)
History
History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America
Tiffany, John K. (John Kerr)
Postage stamps -- United States
The number of plates used in printing this value unperforated, has not
been possible to determine. The distance between the stamps varies
considerably in different plates. In some, they are only 7/10 mm. apart
between the tops and bottoms, in others a little over 1 mm. In some they
are only 9/10 mm. apart between the side lines, in other fully 1-2/10
mm. Specimens with broad, white margins (A) show the paper to have
extended, sometimes 15 mm. beyond the stamps. The vertical lines are (B)
6 mm., or (C) 2½, 3 and 3¾ mm. from the center rows. The makers imprint
(D) is about 1½ mm. from the outer rows, but varies slightly in
different sheets.
The process of making these plates is said to have been; first to mark
out on a soft plate of steel the points at which the right vertical line
of each vertical row of stamps was to come, by a dot at the top and
bottom of the plate. These dots were sometimes too large and too heavily
put in, and may be found in some specimens (E) at or near, the upper or
lower right hand corner of the stamp. The lines however were not always
accurately drawn so that the dot appears (F) on the top or bottom line,
at a distance to the left of the corner, or (G) above the line, or (H)
below the line, or (I) entirely outside of the stamp to the right. These
lines having been drawn, the next step in the process was to put in the
body of the design, which had been engraved on a soft steel punch or
die, and then hardened, by placing the die successively in the position
to be occupied by each stamp on the plate, and "rocking" it back and
forth under pressure. As this process was not as perfect as that now
employed, the die was not always placed in exactly the proper position,
not infrequently being too near or too far from the vertical side lines,
or the die was not rocked far enough, and the edges were left imperfect.
In the design, it was evidently intended that the outside lines should
be equally distant from the top and bottom labels, and the side edges of
the block, and that the corners should be exactly mitered. The top and
bottom lines are practically always at the same distance from the
labels, and one engraver maintains that they were engraved on the die.
But specimens are plentiful in which (a) the top and bottom line
projects beyond the side line, or (b) does not touch it, or rarely (c)
is double or split, or again the side line (d) projects beyond the top
or bottom line, or (e) does not touch it. Again, instead of the side
line being (f) at the proper distance from the corner blocks, it is not
infrequently (g) too far from one or more of them, or (h) too near one
or more of them, or (i) touches one or more of them. Again, the side
line is found (j) connecting with the next stamp above or below, and
occasionally there is a second line (J) near this between two stamps.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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