1857 1¢ - #19

The Value of the Stamp

1c - Blue - Type Ia
The design is complete at the sides and bottom but incomplete at the top.
Top center line and tops of the ornament are missing.
Furthermore, there is a flaw below and to the left of the "U" of "U.S.POSTAGE".
Perf. 15 ½ - Scott #19

			NY Auction Houses
	MH	Used	MNH	MH	Graded	Used	Graded
Spring 2003	-	-	-	-	-	$1,100-$1,150	-
Fall 2003	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2004	-	-	-	-	-	$1,450-$4,500	-
Fall 2004	-	-	-	-	-	$4,750	-
Spring 2005	-	$3,500	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2005	-	-	-	-	-	$2,600-$11,500	-
Spring 2006	-	-	$11,500	-	-	$3,250-$24,000	-
Fall 2006	-	-	$47,500	$6,000	-	$4,500	-
Spring 2007	-	-	-	$17,500	-	-	-
Fall 2007	-	-	-	-	-	$1,700-$5,000	-
Spring 2008	-	$1,285	-	$4,750	-	$2,900-$14,500	-
Fall 2008	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2009	$4,870	-	$75,000	-	-	$13,500	-
	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2009	-	-	-	-	-	$2,300	-
Spring 2010	-	-	-	-	-	$3,250	-
Fall 2010	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2011	-	$5,410	-	-	-	$3,750	-
Fall 2011	-	-	-	-	-	$2,400-$6,750	-
Spring 2012	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2012	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2013	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fall 2013	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2014	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Statistics

Earliest date of use: Sept 9th, 1857 Earliest date of use cover 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: 300,000 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 #19 (#19 is a Type Ia) #19 is a Type Ia design. The design on the bottom and sides of Type Ia are complete. However the design at the top is not complete, some of the top ornaments have been burnished off, see the illustration above. Only one plate produced the perforated Type Ia stamp, that being plate 4. Notes on #19 1) #19 comes 18 of the 20 bottom-row positions on Plate 4. 2) The bottom row of plate 4 only just fits within the perforation, such a tight fit in fact that almost all examples have the perforations cutting into the design. 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

DESIGN CLEAR OF PERFORATIONS AT THE BOTTOM Strip of 3, Types 1a, 1a, 1c The strip of three above is shown in Brookman because it is one of the few examples where the design is clear of the perforations at the bottom. The height of the bottom row positions resulted in the perforations often cutting into the design at the bottom. THE CURL ON THE SHOULDER VARIETY Showing Curl in shoulder variety The flaw was due to a thread being stuck to the plate at the time of the printing. Position 97L4 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