Plate 64 - BH

I haven't had anything to post on for a couple of months, but I recently found a very nice state 2 example of this stamp in a strip of five.
It's shown at bottom right above, together with two state 1s above and another state 2.

State 1 prints show what I would call a slight-to-medium strength upper border shift.
This effect is lessened by the repair.

Statham notes:
'BH is known with a strong TRL in the left margin. This suggests that it was repaired by re-entry, although there is no noticeable strengthening of the frame line or weakening of the check letters.'
I would agree that there is no apparent strengthening of the left side, but at right there is restoration of the small break at approximately 1 o'clock.

Repaired prints do not appear to be particularly scarce.

Plate 65 - BD

This is one of those few repairs that are seen in the second state quite frequently, but are very scarce or rare in the original state.
I have seen just two state 1 examples, yet at least 15 state 2s.

Prints of the repair are easily recognised by the markedly weakened checkletter D, and TRL in the left margin.
The repair was carried out so early that no worn state 1s have been seen; instead it is usual to see state 2s displaying quite a degree of plate wear.
Also there is a progressive patch of wear in the background directly above EN of PENNY, together with a mark inside the same E.
These are both easily seen on the image posted (click to enlarge).

The position of this patch of wear is quite unique - such patches of wear are usually seen in the adjacent right corner.

Plate 165 - BB

I recently located a imperforate state 2 example of this unit.
A very interesting stamp.

There is an illustration of a perforated vertical pair lettered AB-BB in GBJ Vol 3 No 4 Pg 58 (Oct 1961).
The text mentions duplication of the outer line of the SE corner on both stamps (more apparent on stamp BB), but doesn't mention that this is in the second state only.

The original state of this stamp displays very weak and broken left and right sidelines.
The lower half of the right side has been recut in an attempt to mitigate this.
However it is apparent that this recut does not follow the original line, and that it 'cuts in' resulting in the SE corner not being square.

In state 2, there is no apparent strengthening of the left side despite there being a weak TRL in the upper left margin.
The repair has restored the right side though, and the outer line of the second B square is duplicated.
It is apparent that the inner of these two lines is the original recut-out-of-plumb line of state 1.
This corner is now square.
The operation results in the second B being in a different postion than in state 1 - appearing more centrally placed - but it is in fact in exactly the same position relative to the original recut line.
There is some weakening of the checkletters, especially the lower part of the second B.

In Statham's description of this repair he says 'original recut of lower part of right frame line is no longer obvious'.
I would agree it's not obvious, however the line is still discernable in the outer side network, coming down to meet the innermost of the two lines on the outside of the SE square.
Statham also says 'TRL in right margin', but this is clearly not so in this stamp and nor is it in the illustration of the AB-BB pair mentioned above.

Plate 176 and 155 - RJ

Here is an interesting case.

Stamp RJ of plate 176 is one that has special mention in Statham.
He notes a non-coincident repair by re-entry, and illustrates the duplication of the outer line of the R square and of the major SW pointing ray of the right star.
Part of the commentary is 'R is closer to the right side of the square'.
What an understatement!

The illustration shows state 1 next to two repaired stamps.
The duplication is clear, especially on the example scanned larger.
The position of the checkletter R is significantly altered, and its tail is a completely different shape.
The checkletter J is also different.
It seems clear that both letters have been recut.
I am confident the allocation of these stamps to plate 176 is correct.

This unit is apparently known to have been repaired a second time.
For this reason I am unsure at this stage whether the two examples are state 2 or 3.
An interesting stamp - one to look out for.

Interestingly, I found both the scans of repaired stamps in places where they were described as plate 155.
Stamp RJ is missing from the 155 Imprimatur sheet, which doesn't help in identifying examples, but for the record I have included in the image above three examples of RJ from plate 155.
I suspect they are all state 3 prints, but the letter positions can be made out fairly well despite all three having cancels on top of them.

That two same stamps have been misplated as 155 makes me wonder if this is an error carried forward from another source.
Possibly the Gardner-Hill reconstructions had this wrong?

Plate 8 of twopence blue - RK

Stamp RK of this plate is not listed by Osborne among the units to have had its plate number/s recut, that had become very broadened due to wear.
The many dated pieces Osborne lists as showing the recut are all dated from 13 November 1860.
This clearly dates the recutting operation to October or November 1860.

I have had this cover for about three years, dated July 1860.
The left plate number 8 displays as extremely broadened due to wear.
In my view this item proves that RK must also have been subject to hand retouch to thin the left plate number.
It would seem unusual for them have operated on other units around this area of the plate and leave RK, and I'm sure that they didn't.

I just need to find a later print to confirm this beyond doubt.

Plate 81 - TI

I have had a great deal of trouble finding examples of this stamp, despite it being quite a common plate.
I have had the crappy state 1 print for a couple of years, and have just located a state 2 example.

The repair to this stamp has been known for some time.
The repair is non-coincident resulting in duplication across its top, including the top line of the right star.
The major NE pointing ray in the NE square is clearly duplicated, and POSTAGE is compressed.
Duplication in the left star is also reported, but the cancel impedes in this example.
The checkletters display some weakening in comparison to state 1 prints.
There is a new TRL of medium strength running for virtually the full length of the left margin.

Originally I had thought this cover was dated 1848, but now to hand realise it's July 1849.
This is a couple of months after Statham's estimate of plate 81s withdrawal from press, and so this cover offers no clue as to when the re-entry may have been carried out.

This is the only example I have seen.

Plate 155 - GD and HF

These two stamps arrived yesterday.
Stamp GD was described by the seller as plate 162.
HF was described as (of all things) plate 60.
In fact both are from plate 155, and GD is in the second state (weaker checkletters and stronger right sideline).

The misplating of GD can be forgiven as the letter position of plates 155 and 162 is similarish.
HF should not - the stamp clearly has alphabet 2 checkletters, so how it was plated as an alphabet 1 plate is anyones guess.

This isn't a complaint - these would have sold for significantly higher than I paid if they were correctly plated.
HF is a large stamp, and a great bargain at £1.70!

Moral of the story: if you're looking for specific plates, always check everything.

Plate 150 - T row

Received today was the above strip from plate 150.
A strip I'm very happy to have, despite its faults.
I'm quite lucky to have recognised it since the scan in the ebay listing was small; but fortunately the grossly misplaced checkletter T on stamp TE is pretty much unique on TEs of this range of plates, so I was fairly confident what plate it was even though I couldn't see it very well.

The first four stamps show extreme wear, with the wear tapering off in intensity in the remaining three stamps.
TE, TF and TG are all known to have been repaired, but it seems from this strip that TH must also have been repaired.
Additional evidence of this is a state 2 print of stamp TG showing two TRLs in the right margin, that I am aware of.

It is possible TI may also have been repaired - they just need to be found!

Plate 71 - TH new discovery

In my entry about stamp TG of this plate, I concluded that other repairs from this plate are possible based upon a strip I had seen showing TG in state 1 with other T row stamps in a worn state.
This strip is shown in the image above.
Although the scan is small and the strip in bad condition, it is apparent that it is a state 1 print due to the patch of extreme wear above Y of PENNY on stamp TG.

Richard Gray of First Class Stamps has now shown me the TG-TH pair that is also in the image above.
In this TG is clearly in the repaired state, showing the duplicated upper line of the right star.
Stamp TH is also repaired, I am sure.
There is a new TRL at left, and although also a worn print there is some apparent strengthening of engraved lines in comparison to the earlier print.

It seems possible that the repair to these units was not entirely successful in restoring the engraved background.
This could be a reason why a repair to TH has been identified until now.
I don't think these units were repaired at different times, and accordingly examples of TH must be out there and just as plentiful as state 2s of TG.

Plate 33 - SA and TA

Stamp SA of this plate is one that I keep running in to.
In addition to the five examples above, I also had another state 2 print that I sold.

The three state 1 examples show onset of typical plate wear.
The upper right sideline and outer line of the NE square are strong.
The checkletter A is virtually blind.

Re-entry of the unit restores worn engraving seen in later state 1 prints, though this seems to be a temporary measure with new wear apparent in the second state 2 stamp.
The upper right side and outer line of the NE corner are now weaker, the latter being ill-defined.
Checkletter A is now clearly open.
There is a quite feint TRL in the right margin (possibly only in early prints?).

The repair to stamp TA also seems to have not staved off wear for too long, with the above state 2 print showing new wear.
Checkletter A is also more open in the repaired state.

In the scan above, the second SA state 1 and second state 2 are both ex Stone - being the actual stamps photographed in that book.
The two TA stamps are ex Osborne - being the actual stamps photographed in that publication.

Statham says the repair occurred 'fairly late' in this plate's life, but state 2 examples do not seem particularly difficult to locate and I suspect the repair happened just after about half-way through its time at press.

Plate 54 - SH

The repair to stamp SH of plate 54 is fairly well known; partly because the stamp is relatively common, but also due to the prominent doubling caused by the non-coincident nature of the operation.
State 2 prints are immediately identified by the duplication of the lower tablet and letter squares, and prominent TRLs at both sides.

What may not have been seen by readers of this though, is a state 1 print of this stamp.
These are very rare - the example above is only the second example I have heard about.
The repair clearly was undertaken very soon after the plate going to press, and therefore is unlikely to have been necessitated by wear.
Instead some other reason must have been at play - possibly the unit was damaged somehow.

The state 2 single shown is complemented by another example in an attractive strip of four.
Adjacent stamp SI is a non-coincident fresh entry.

Both these stamps are missing from the imprimatur sheet.
To find these would really be something.
Does anyone have them or know who does?
Does anyone have another state 1?

This is the only recorded repair to this plate.

Plate 125 - marginal ornament

The above stamp, I am confident, is from plate 125 (and printed on the thicker, lavender tinted paper).

The side marginal ornaments follow a decision in 1851 to make it easier for postal clerks to divide sheets in half.
All the plates at press at the time were engraved with the first type of ornament, being a twelve pointed star within a circle - part of which is seen on this stamp.
Those plates therefore exist in two states of the marginal markings - with and without the ornament.
The plates noted in the printer's records as having been so altered are:

13 Dec 1851 - 120, 121, 127, 130, 131.
16 Dec 1851 - 116, 118, 119, 122, 123, 124, 125, 128, 129.

Despite this, Statham (page 1439) says that plate 125 had not yet been seen with the side marginal ornament.
If this is correct this would be the first one; and it would go against Statham's estimate of when this plate was removed from press.
His estimate is mid-April 1852 for removal, a date in common with some of the other plates in the list above and from which many examples in the altered state have been seen.

There are therefore two possibilites: either Ken and his contacts simply had not been able to locate an example of plate 125 with the ornament despite their numbers being about equal to the other plates; or the estimate of when this plate was taken from press is wrong, with the actual date being considerably earlier.
Proof either way lies simply in how many 125s with ornament can be located.

Does anyone have one, or more?

Plate 71 - TG

This repair was first reported by Paul Witham in GBJ Vol 24 No 3 Pg 36.

State 1 prints are frequently seen with much wear.
Late prints display a strong patch of wear in the background above Y of PENNY.

In state 2, the patch of wear is gone although some wear along the lower background remains.
Both sidelines are slightly stronger and the lateral networks thinned and restored.
The checkletters are slightly weaker.
The right end of the upper line of the right star is duplicated.
There may also be some duplication in the E of POSTAGE and the left star??

This is the only reported repair to this plate.
I have however seen a strip TG-TK that I believe is in state 1, showing the other stamps with noticeable wear.
It seems unlikely to me that TG would be singled out for re-entry and the other units left as they were.
Accordingly it is possible in my view that other repairs may exist from this plate.

Repaired examples do not appear to be particularly scarce.

Plate 9 - FF

This is a new discovery of stamp FF of plate 9, in black and in state 2.

There's not much that I would disagree with Osborne on.
One thing though is his treatment of the repairs to units FC, FF, GA, GB, GC, GD and GE of plate 9.
To me it is quite wrong for these repairs to be classified in the final repair of this plate, apparently simply because black prints had not been seen.
The fact remains that the repair to these units has the characteristics of the earlier provisional repair, not the later operation.
In the former, the stars are weakened by re-entry due to the use of a transfer roller with blank upper corners.
The latter repair strengthens the stars, from use a roller with complete upper corners.
The units listed above are clearly in the former category.

In support of this, I see that SG has the repair of stamp FC in the provisional repair listings, so I assume as a black print in state 2 has since been identified.
Further, a couple of years ago I discovered a black print of stamp FF showing the repair - see scan.

It is my belief that the remaining units GA to GE also exist in black in the second state - they simply haven't been found yet.
Some of the provisional prints (ie black stamps in state 2) of this plate, whilst not common, are seen fairly often - A and B row stamps.
So why are the others apparently so elusive?
To me there can be only one answer - the provisional repair to this plate must have been a spilt operation with some of the units operated on at a later time, but still before the emergency order for 10,000 sheets of stamps in black had been filled.
If the second tranche of repairs was very close to the date when red printings recommenced, then that would make examples of those repairs in black very scarce indeed - and that certainly seems to be the case here.

The discovery of stamp FF in black in state 2 proves that this unit should be included in SG Spec AS60.
Also that red state 1 prints are pre-provisionals, and as such should be included in SG Spec AS63.

Plate 49 - TF

I was delighted recently to have almost accidentally recognised a state 2 example of this stamp amongst a group of stamps comprising an eBay lot.

The repair to this plate is a relatively new discovery, by Paul Witham in 2000 - see GBJ 41/1/7 and 41/5/108.

There is good reason to think this is only the second example of this stamp known.

State 1 prints are frequently seen with much wear.

There is a slight burr rub over the left star and POST of POSTAGE.

The upper half of the left sideline is recut, and the baseline has a strong shifted transfer.

There is a constant mark (Statham calls it a guide dot) at the NE point of checkletter F.

The repair restores all the worn engraving that is seen in later state 1 prints.

The recutting of the upper left is no longer apparent with both sides noticeably stronger than in even early state 1 prints, and the burr rub over the vicinity of the left star is somewhat less pronounced.

The checkletters and constant 'guide dot' are all markedly weaker.

There is a new TRL at centre left.

The stamp is shown above with my early and late state 1 examples.

This is the only known repair to this plate.

However with the rarity of state 2 stamps it is apparent the repair operation was carried out very close to the end of this plates life, and with worn examples fairly common the possibility of other repairs must be considered.

Plate 158 - RD

I recently bought a state 2 copy of this stamp.

This is a non-coincident fresh entry in the original state - prints show duplication in both stars, and significant compression of POSTAGE.

The latter is best seen when compared with stamp RC in the image scanned above.

Statham (page 1946) casts doubt on whether this stamp exists in a second state.

He apparently hadn't seen the original report in GBJ Vol 2 No 9 Pg 108, that includes a photo of state 2.

The repair, as it happens, is another non-coincident re-entry resulting in new duplication below.

This is most discernable at the base of the D square.

Duplication at top is more pronounced when compared to state 1.

The checkletters are thinned, and there is a strong TRL running for virtually the entire right side margin.

Like stamp BG plate 160 below, I have not seen any worn state 1 prints of this stamp as yet; and the state 2 prints seen have all been more worn in the background than any state 1 seen.

Three state 2 prints have been seen.

This appears to be the only repair to this plate.

Reports of a repair to stamp BG are almost certainly a misidentification with plate 160.

Plate 160 - BG

I have had a copy of each state of this stamp for a while (top stamps).

The state 1 is the actual stamp photographed in Seymour.

The photograph in Seymour's book shows two examples of each state, though the second copy is almost completely obscured by the top one.

A week or so ago I bought another copy of each state (bottom stamps), and there is no doubt that my new state 2 is the stamp 'underneath' in the photo.

This is a non-coincident repair, showing duplication of major rays in both stars.

In state 2 the left sideline is strengthened and the checkletter B is weakened.

An unusual feature of the repair is that the upper portion of the right sideline appears to be weaker than in the original state, with some light blurring in the margin adjacent (burr rub?).

There is a short TRL at lower left.

Though the reason for this re-entry is probably to restore worn engraving, I have not as yet seen a state 1 print of this stamp showing any degree of wear.

Indeed, both the above state 2 prints are more worn than the state 1s.

Four state 2 prints have been seen.

Other reported repairs to this plate: AA AB