US stamps 1851 18

1857 1¢ - #18

The Value of the Stamp

1c - Blue - Type I
The most complete design of all the types.
The design is complete at top, bottom and sides.
Hard to find well centered copies.
Perf. 15 ½ - Scott #18

NY Auction Houses

MNH

MH

Used

MNH

MH

Graded

Used

Graded

Spring 2003
-

-

-

-

$1,250

-

$105

-

Fall 2003
-

-

-

-

$1,600

-

-

-

Spring 2004
-

-

-

-

$1,100

-

-

-

Fall 2004
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Spring 2005
$3,750

-

-

-

$1,600

-

$400-$575

-

Fall 2005
-

-

$100-$150

-

$1,050-$2,200

-

$350-$700

-

Spring 2006
-

-

$90

-

$2,700-$3,250

-

$325-$700

-

Fall 2006
-

-

$110-$225

$3,750

-

-

$900

90

Spring 2007
-

-

$115-$300

-

$2,400

-

$650-$660

-

Fall 2007
-

-

$165-$180

$9,500

-

-

$4,000

95

Spring 2008
-

-

$135-$230

-

$1,000-$7,250

90

$750

80

Fall 2008
-

-

$100-$150

-

-

-

$1,600

-

Spring 2009
-

-

$75-$80

$2,000

$2,300

85

$450

85

-

-

-

-

$3,125-$3,250

90

-

-

Fall 2009
-

$280*

$90-$110

-

$1,900

85

-

-

-

-

-

-

$4,000

90

-

-

Spring 2010
-

-

$820

-

-

-

-

-

Fall 2010
$1,440

-

$85-$110

-

-

-

$800

85

Spring 2011
-

-

$95-$500

-

$2,200

85

-

-

Fall 2011
-

-

$80-$145

-

$1,800-$2,700

85

-

-

Spring 2012
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Fall 2012
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Spring 2013
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Fall 2013
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Spring 2014
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

* minor stain removed

Statistics

Issued: January 25th, 1861

Plate Size: Sheets of 200 subjects (2 panes of 100).

A full pane of 100

Printer: Toppan, Carpenter, Casilier & Co. using the die-to-relief-to-plate transfer process.

Watermark: None

Quantity Issued: 350,000

Use: The one-cent stamp was required to pay the fee for drop letters and circulars under 500 miles. It was also the rate for Newspapers and Circulars.

What you should look for

Identifying #18
(#18 is a Type I)

#18 is a Type I design. The design on a Type I is complete, meaning that the ornaments at the top and bottom of the frame have not trimmed by the engravers at the time. All other types of the Franklin 1c have a portion of the design trimmed away.

Only one plate produced the perforated Type I stamp, that being plate 12.

Notes on #18

1) There were 99 positions on plate 12 that produced Type I stamps. the other 101 positions on this plate are plate II.
2) It is common to find a heavy film of ink on the stamp, probably because the plate had not or could not have been positioned properly. This gives some of the #18 stamps a mottled appearance.

Showing over-inking on #18, easily visible on the margins.

3) All plate 12 stamps show a dot in the white border surrounding he medallion on the left side.

How many plates were there?

There were twelve plates of the 1c Franklin made, plate six was never used, probably due to it being damaged in it's creation. Most of the plates were used for both the imperforate and perforated design. Some only produced one type or the other. For instance, plate 12 produced only perforated stamps and the early state of Plate 1 produced only imperforate stamps.

The Inspiration for the Design

Benjamin Franklin
Jean-Jacques Caffieri (1725-1792)
Marble, 25" high
The Peabody Collection, Maryland

The design was based off Jean-Jacques Caffieri's bust of Franklin.

Varieties to look for

DOUBLE TRANSFERS

Position 33L12 showing double transfer

There are numerous double transfers on plate 12, some more prominant than others, positions 25L and 33L (shown above) are being good examples.

Wagshall refers to a cracked plate (more like a gash in the plate) but I have my doubts that this a true variety, I have seen no records of the plate position having a crack, other than Wagshalls.

Brookman refers to a curl in a P, which very much looks like a piece of fiber got into a printing, probably a unique example.

A contemporary forgery of the 1c Franklin

The Essay's and Proofs

Vignette of Ben Franklin
Imperf essay on laid india paper

Unlisted 1c Liberty
Black, Vignette Die Essay on Proof paper
frame similar to 5¢ Jefferson
Probably attributable to Toppan, Carpenter, Casilier and Co.

5-E1a
Black, Vignette Die Essay on India

5-E1var
Black, Vignette Die Essay on India
Unlisted showing both Franklin and Washington

5-E1b
Black, Vignette Die Essay on Proof Paper

5-E1f
Black, Vignettes Die Essay on Proof Paper

5-E2
6c Black
Die Essay on India

				NY Auction Houses
	MNH	MH	Used	MNH	MH	Graded	Used	Graded
Spring 2003	-	-	-	-	$1,250	-	$105	-
Fall 2003	-	-	-	-	$1,600	-	-	-
Spring 2004	-	-	-	-	$1,100	-	-	-
Fall 2004	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2005	$3,750	-	-	-	$1,600	-	$400-$575	-
Fall 2005	-	-	$100-$150	-	$1,050-$2,200	-	$350-$700	-
Spring 2006	-	-	$90	-	$2,700-$3,250	-	$325-$700	-
Fall 2006	-	-	$110-$225	$3,750	-	-	$900	90
Spring 2007	-	-	$115-$300	-	$2,400	-	$650-$660	-
Fall 2007	-	-	$165-$180	$9,500	-	-	$4,000	95
Spring 2008	-	-	$135-$230	-	$1,000-$7,250	90	$750	80
Fall 2008	-	-	$100-$150	-	-	-	$1,600	-
Spring 2009	-	-	$75-$80	$2,000	$2,300	85	$450	85
Spring 2009	-	-	-	-	$3,125-$3,250	90	-	-
Fall 2009	-	$280*	$90-$110	-	$1,900	85	-	-
Fall 2009	-	-	-	-	$4,000	90	-	-
Spring 2010	-	-	$820	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2010	$1,440	-	$85-$110	-	-	-	$800	85
Spring 2011	-	-	$95-$500	-	$2,200	85	-	-
Fall 2011	-	-	$80-$145	-	$1,800-$2,700	85	-	-
Spring 2012	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2012	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2013	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2013	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2014	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-