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#14 - 1851 10¢ Imperf - Type II

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Basic Info

10¢
Green, dark green or yellowish green
TYPE II

Printing Method: Die-to-relief-to-plate transfer process
Plate: plate 1
Printer: Toppan, Carpenter, Casilier & Co.
Subject: George Washington
Number issued:
2,325,000
Perforations: Imperforate
Watermark:
Unwatermarked
Scott #:
14
Issued:
early May 1855

Value

Used
$70 - $100 (four margins)
No postmark with gum (MH)
$700 - $7,000 (four margins)
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)

No sales recorded

Notable Sales

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#14 tied by bold balloon-type "Steilacoom City W.T. Feb 21" datestamp, addressed to Wilmington, Ohio. Steilacoom (shown above) was the first post office established in Washington Territory

Sold January 2023 for $5,500

Explore H.R. Harmer's Auctions

ID #14

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Inspiration for the Design

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George Washington
Gilbert Stuart, 1803
Source image for the design of the vignette

The Imprint

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Along the side margin of the sheet can be found the Printers imprint along with the plate number

Usage

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Earliest use of both #14 and any 10¢ imperf. May 12, 1855

The Letter Rate for distances greater than 3,000 and under ½ oz was 10¢, the domestic rate for letters over ½ oz. Because of this the 10¢ stamp was relatively common. Not only used for foreign mail, it was used for coast to coast mail when the rate for the latter was raised from 6¢ to 10¢ in 1855.

Plate Positions

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The plate positions of Plate 1, the white spaces are #14's
For a larger copy
click here (opens a new page)

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#14 comes exclusively from plate #1. In plate one there is a break in the bottom line of the value label and the pearl at the right and left edges care complete.

The stamps come in a wide spectrum of greens, ranging from light green to dark green. The darker the shade of green, the more desirable. Plate 2 stamps have not breaks in the bottom line and the pearls at the sides are shaved.

The 10¢ value was printed with wider spaces between the stamps than the 1¢, 3¢ and 5¢ values, consequently copies with less than four margins are sold at a heavy discount.

Fakes

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It is worth looking out for an all too common bit of fakery. Above a 1857 issue (almost always the cheapest #35) has had all its perforations trimmed off to imitate a imperforate 1851 10¢ issue. The clue in this case is that it is a type V stamp and there was no type V in 1851.

Essays and Proofs

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13-E1
Large die essay on India

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13-E1

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13-E2
Large die essay on India

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13-E2

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43-P1
Large die proof on India, die mounted on card

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43-P1

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43-P2
Small die proof on India

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43-P2

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43-P2a
Roosevelt small die proof

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43-P2a

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43-P3
Plate proof on India

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43-P3

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43-P3
A full pane of the plate proof on India

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43-P3

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43-P4
Plate proof on card

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43-P4

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43-P5
Plate proof on stamp paper

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43-P5

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43-TC4
Trial color proof

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43-TC4

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43-TC4d
Atlanta trial color plate proof

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43-TC4d

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43-TC7
Trial color proof

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43-TC7

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43-TC7
Trial color proof

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43-TC7

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43-TC7
Trial color proof

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43-TC7

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The envelope that the 1875 proofs came supplied in

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Envelope

The 1851 3¢ TO 12¢ Imperf

Click your selected stamp

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10
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10A
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11
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11A
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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The Printers
Printers
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