Identifying
Scott #10 and #10A (Orange Brown)
Home
Plates
Plating
Statistics
Color
Identifying #10s
Philly Cancels
Plate 5L Rust
Links |
The U.S. 1851 3-cent orange brown George Washington stamp (Scott
#10, 10A) probably is the most frequently misidentified 19th-Century U.S.
stamp. The problem of #11 and #11A (catalog value: $15.00) being advertised as
#10 or #10A (catalog value: $200, $150, respectively) seems to be most chronic on the eBay Internet
auction site. Every week at least one, and often more than five
#11s are advertised as #10s on eBay. Some sellers of #11s identified
as #10s are fraudulent, while others are overly optimistic. I don't
know which is worse, because in each case, a hopeful collector is filling
an album space with a stamp that doesn't belong there, and once the
expensive mistake is discovered, the hobby experience will be tainted
permanently.
The images and annotations below should be of some help in learning to
identify #10s. However, plating is the surest method of positive
identification, since all stamps printed from plates; 1e, 1i, 2e, 5e, and
0 are defined as #10s, and all stamps printed from plates 1L, 2L, 3, 4,
5L, 6, 7, and 8 are defined as #11s. The #10 shown below is from plate position 33R5e.
The #11 is unplated (both stamps were scanned at identical scanner
settings). |
|
1) IMPRESSION: The ink used to print #10s was a high-quality formula of approximately 80 percent Venetian red
(ferric oxide/rust) and 20 percent vermilion (red mercuric sulfide). The ingredients not only gave the ink its distinctive orange
brown color, but it also helped produce a superior
impression, and its susceptibility to discoloration is very minimal (rust is the
result of being exposed to the elements, and it is not susceptible to
significant further discoloration). This first ink formula was discarded after about four months
in favor of the brownish carmine shade. The reason for conversion to a new
ink formula remains the subject of speculation. The iron oxide/vermilion
mix certainly was more expensive, but rapid plate wear caused by the mercuric
sulfide may have been an additional factor. Plate wear on
this design began to show in the finest lines first. Some #10s printed
from plates 1e and 1i do show significant wear. Severe plate wear on this issue is most evident on examples from
plate 1L printed in the late-1854 to early-1855 period.
In the image at left, the #10 shown at left
is an example of a high-quality early impression, while the #11
shown at right was printed from a severely worn plate, with poor-quality
ink. Note the lack of detail in Washington's head, and the lack of
sharpness in the rosettes and especially the tessellated (coross-hatch) work in the #11 impression. The
#11 at right was advertised on eBay as a #10.
2) COLOR: The color and texture of the
ink are key factors in #10 identification. Except for some rare anomalies,
the color of #10s fall into a narrow range of an orange/brown mix. Although this is stating the obvious, many sellers
advertise stamps missing orange, brown, or both colors as #10s simply because
their color looks unusual, or deeper, than most 1851-57 3-cent imperforate
stamps they've seen. The texture of the ink almost always appears thick
and rich compared to #11s similar in color. The #11 at right in the above
comparison is of the orange red shade, commonly mistaken for orange brown, but
the color looks pale and watered down compared to the #10.
"Sulfuretted"
stamps are commonly advertised as #10s because of their dark appearance.
Sulfuretted stamps are stamps printed with higher concentrations of ferric oxide
in the ink formula that
have been discolored by exposure to sulfur dioxides (commonly found in air
pollutants).
Sulfur dioxide (sulfide)
exposure converts ferric oxide (found in Venetian Red-based pigments) to ferric
sulfate (dark brown).
The image at left shows an orange brown #10 overlaid on a
sulfuretted (browned) #11. Close examination of the sulfuretted #11 in
the high-resolution image reveals tiny specks of original reddish ink color
(arrow) in the low-relief areas in comparison to the blackened higher-relief
areas of the inking. The ink used in #10 printings was not susceptible to
significant discoloration from exposure to sulfides, although many #11 inks
were.
3) CANCELS: Cancellations can be used in
limited cases to help confirm or rule out a stamp as a #10. In the 1850s
letters generally were carried by the sender to the post office for mailing, and
only the stamps needed for that day's mailing were purchased, and the stamps
were immediately affixed to the letters brought for mailing. Stamps used
more than a few months after distribution to the post office were the
exception. The earliest known use of Scott #10 was July 1, 1851.
Approximately 98 percent of #10s were used by the end of May 1852, so
examples dated after May 1852 and advertised as #10s should be closely
scrutinized (pay close attention to date-lined folded letters). There are
only a few confirmed contemporary usages of #10s after 1852 (2/10/53, 6/26/54,
and one in 1858), but I've seen brazen eBay
sellers advertising
#10s with 1857 year-dated cancels.
Philadelphia
cancels also can be used as dating aids, since Philadelphia abruptly
converted from blue to black ink for their cancellation hand stamps on about
January 1, 1854. The #11 above, although strong in orange pigment and
lacking good plating marks, could not be a #10 because of the black Philadelphia
June cancel (and worn-plate impression).
Boston "PAID" cancels
also can be used to help
confirm a #10. The small-diameter (18mm) "PAID" cancel
from Boston (shown in image at left on #10/orange brown) was discarded in favor of the common larger-diameter (24-25mm) "PAID"
cancel (shown on #11/brownish carmine) in mid-January 1852. The latest known use of the small Boston
"PAID"
is January 15, and the earliest known use of the large Boston "PAID"
is January 16. While some #10s with the large Boston "PAID"
cancel are known, as are some #11s with the small Boston "PAID," stamps with the small Boston "PAID" will almost always be
#10s.
4) PLATING: Although it is not addressed in
the comparative images above, plating a stamp using the Smithsonian photographic
prints provided by Carroll Chase is the surest way to confirm its identity as a
#10. However, a basic knowledge of the characteristics
of each plate will allow the educated philatelist to spot misidentified
#10s, even in medium-resolution images, without plating them.
5) PROOFS:
Plate proofs (Scott #41P3) of the 1875 reprints (Scott #41) of the 1851-57
3-cent issue were made, primarily in the
scarlet shade. An example is shown at left. A
41P3 was sold as a #10 on eBay in September 2006.
6) DESIGN TYPE: Design type is not a factor in differentiating #10s from #11s. All 1851 to 1857 3-cent imperforate stamps have an outer frame line on all four sides. Design type 1 (no inner frame lines) can be either Scott #10 or #11. Design type 2 (with inner frame lines) can be either Scott #10A or #11A. I only feel the need to mention this because some of the least educated sellers of stamps on eBay believe all 3-cent stamps from this series with an outer frame line on all four sides are #10 or #10A.
Home
3cent1851@comcast.net