Basic Information
Colors: Blue, pale blue, dark blue
Subject: Benjamin Franklin
Printing Method: die-to-relief-to-plate intaglio engraving process
Printer: Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co.
Perforations: imperforate
Watermark: none
Scott #: 5
Type: I
Quantity Issued: 30,000
Issued: July 1st, 1851
Only occurs on position 7R1E
Value
An unused stamp without gum: $90,000-$120,000
A used stamp: $55,000-$65,000
Values are for stamps with four margins.
General Notes
Positions 6-8R1E
horizontal strip of three
Click the image to enlarge
#5 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 1¢ have a portion of the design trimmed away. Type I is also distinguishable in that it has double transfer as shown by the doubling of the protrusion at the top of the frame design.
Only one plate position produced the Type I stamp, that being position 7RIE, a number known to most serious US philatelists.
Interesting points
1) It is a unique position (only one of the two hundred positions produced this)
2) Unlike its cousin, the perforated 1851 1¢ Franklin, it does not have a dot in the white border surrounding the medallion on the left hand side
3) It was forged a lot, mainly by taking the 1875 reprint and adding lines to duplicate the double transfer. The 1875 also has the secret dot on the left, which does not exist on #5.
4) A certificate is a must, never buy without one.
5) It is the rarest US stamp issued prior to the grills of 1867.
6) Seigel Auction Galleries printed in 1960 the Jerome Wagshall Survey of this issue, at the time of printing there were 90 recorded examples, since that time two other have been discovered.
Why is there only one position with a complete design?
The design of this early issue was too large to allow for the accommodation of the 200 subjects onto one plate. Therefore, each position had to have some amount of the design erased to allow enough room. These erasures accounted for the majority of the types. One position, however, was not subject to any erasure whatsoever, that position being the 7R1E.
What exactly does position 7RIE mean?
It means the 7th stamp of the right pane of plate I in the early state. Plate one had two states, early and late. Plate one in its original or early state became worn with use, the designs on the plate were then recut (after only 11 months use) and thus the plate became the late state. Plate one remained in service until 1857.
7 = Seventh stamp of the 100 on the pane
R = Right Plane
I = Plate I
E= Early State
How many plates were there?
There were twelve plates of the 1¢ 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 whilst plate I late (reconstruction) produced both imperforate and perforated stamps. Plate 4 was the last of the imperforate plates to be used.
The Inspiration for the Design
Bust of Franklin
Jean-Jacques Caffieri
A New Contract
Under Postmaster General Nathan K. Hall, the contract to print the 1851 Issue was awarded to the Philadelphia firm of Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. (Casilear retired in October 1854, but his name was included in plate imprints as late as 1857).
The 1¢ 1851 stamp, with a bust of Franklin based on Caffieri’s sculpture, was one of the workhorses of postage stamps issued during the decade it was current. Twelve plates were required to print sufficient quantities of 1¢ stamps, and the creation of those plates caused Toppan Carpenter a great degree of difficulty.
How to Identify this Stamp
Click the image to enlarge
Identifying the 1851 1¢ Franklin Type I (Scott #5) requires finding an imperforate stamp with fully complete ornaments at both top and bottom, particularly the outer scrolls and plumes. This rare stamp, originating only from position 7R1E, often displays a double transfer on the top right and, unlike later types, is not trimmed.
Key Identification Points for 1851 Type I (#5):
Imperforate: No perforation holes (issued in 1851).
Complete Design: The crucial identifier is that the design is complete at both the top and bottom. The top scrolls and bottom plumes are not trimmed off, which is the case for Types II, III, and IV.
Double Transfer: A distinct double transfer (doubling of the design) is visible at the top right of the frame.
Position 7R1E: The Type I was only created at one plate position: the 7th stamp in the right pane of Plate 1 Early.
Color: Typically a deep blue or bright blue.
Important Distinctions:
Not the 1875 Reprint: Reprints have a gauge 12 perforation, while the original Type I is imperforate.
Avoid Confusion with Later Types: Type II has the bottom plumes trimmed off, and Types III and IV have even more of the top/bottom design cut away.
Expertise Needed: Due to its rarity and frequent forgeries, an expert certificate is highly recommended to confirm a genuine Type I.
The Inspiration for the Design
Nathan K Hall.
Postmaster
Bust of Franklin
Jean-Jacques Caffieri
A New Contract
Under Postmaster General Nathan K. Hall, the contract to print the 1851 Issue was awarded to the Philadelphia firm of Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. (Casilear retired in October 1854, but his name was included in plate imprints as late as 1857).
The 1¢ 1851 stamp, with a bust of Franklin based on Caffieri’s sculpture, was one of the workhorses of postage stamps issued during the decade it was current. Twelve plates were required to print sufficient quantities of 1¢ stamps, and the creation of those plates caused Toppan Carpenter a great degree of difficulty.
The Types of the 1851-57 One Cent Stamps (Large Diagram)
