Plate 11
Printings in Black:
All black printings of this stamp with the exception of two positions
(GE and GF) can be identified by a flaw in the north-east star corner.
The 7 O'clock Ray Flaw consists of a missing or very short ray in the 7
O'clock position on the star. This is unique to Plate 11. Another
flaw which is helpful is a small gap which appears on the top left side
of the frame of the north-east corner square. This occurs on nearly
all stamps of the eight upper rows with the exception of GE and GF.
Another characteristic of Plate 11 is a weak west frame line. A decision
had been made to switch the color of the postage stamps from black ink
to red ink but the red stamps were not yet ready and the previous
supply of black stamps was exhausted. therefore a provisional printing
of 700 sheets was made over a two day period, 01 and 02 February 1841.
During this very short production of the stamps in the black ink it was
not necessary to perform repairs and therefore repairs are only found on
the red printings.
The 7 O'clock Ray Flaw | Example from Plate 11 |
Characteristics of Plate 11 Black Printings
Earliest Known Date of Use | A used copy is known dated 4th February (black printing) |
Flaw | 7 O'clock Ray Flaw and gap at top left of NW Square |
No Flaw | GE and GF |
Shifted Transfer/Basel Shift | None |
Re-entries | BC, OA, TD, TK |
Double Letters | BB, DD, JE, KA, NH, PH, RD |
Burr Rubs | None |
Recut Side Lines | None |
Recut Corners | None |
Constant Varieties | AH, HB, NA, NB, NH, OF, RL |
Printing in Red | State 1, 2 and 3 Printings in Red (see below) |
Color of Maltese Cross | Black and a few copies in Red |
Bleute Paper | None |
Thin Paper | None |
Inverted Watermark | One example is known |
Printings in Red:
Printings in red were made first on 29 and 30 January. The printings
in red were resumed again after the 700 sheets of
black stamps were produced on 03 February and some few weeks later
.
The 7 O'clock Ray Flaw | Example from Plate 11 |
Characteristics of Plate 11 Red Printings State 1, 2, 3
Earliest Known Date of Use | Printing began on 29 and 30 January |
Flaw | 7 O'clock Ray Flaw and gap at top left of NW Square |
No Flaw | GE and GF |
Shifted Transfer/Basel Shift | None |
Re-entries | BC, OA, TD, TK |
Double Letters | BB, DD, JE, KA, NH, PH, RD |
Burr Rubs | None |
Recut Side Lines | None |
Recut Corners | None |
Constant Varieties | AH, HB, NA, NB, NH, OF, RL |
Printing in Red | State 1, 2 and 3 |
Color of Maltese Cross | Black |
Bleute Paper | None |
Thin Paper | None |
Inverted Watermark | Exists |
Repairs State 2 | AE, AF, AG, AH, AI, AJ, DC, EF, FA, FB, FF, GA, TA |
Repairs State 3 | AF, AG, AH |