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Plate 6
Plate 6, like Plate 4, is also known as the "Spotted Plate" but the
spots are not quite as numerous or contant as in the case of Plate 4.
Plate 6 is mostlikely the commonist of all the Penny Black Plates.
I wonder at times though as it seems most of the stamps I encounter and
identify are Plate 5! This plate was only in service from 15 June
1840 until 09 January 1841. Another characterisitc of Plate
6, which helps seperate it
from Plate 4 is the weakness of the side frame lines. They
are weaker than those of Plate 4, and also weaker than Plate 5. The
base lines on
Plate 6 are also thinner than those of plate 4. Plate 4 stamps
also tend to be darker black in color and struck with a red Maltese Cross,
whereas the stamps from Plate6, having been produced later in time,
may have a red or black Maltese Cross. Since Plate 6 does not have
Ray Flaws nor
the "O" Flaw or "O" Bulge, it is possible to eliminate Plates 1a,
1b, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. However, given the above
means of seperating stamps from Plate 4 and 6, once again the safest
avenue to identify the plate with certainty is to measure the check letter
positions. Therefore I recommend te use of Volume I of
The
Plating of the Penny, 1840-1864.
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Characteristics of Plate 6 State 1
| Earliest Known Date of Use | 29 June 1840 |
| Flaw | None. The "Spots" and "Weak Frame Lines" are useful however |
| Re-entries | OB, QJ, QK, SA |
| Shifted Transfer/Basel Shift | None |
| Double Letters | BG, FK, LB, MK, PF |
| Burr Rubs, Scratches or Marks | None |
| Recut Frame Lines or Corners | None |
| Recut Corners | None |
| Constant Varieties | EK, MG, QF, TB |
| Printing in Red | None |
| Color of Maltese Cross | Red or Black |
| Bleute Paper | Exists |
| Inverted Watermark | Exists |
Characteristics of Plate 6 State 2 (First Repair)
| Repair by Re-entry | State 2: FF, FG, KD,
KE, KF, KG, LD, LE, LG, OE, OG, OK, OL, PD, PE, PF, PG, PH, PL, QC, QD,
QE, QL, RD, RE, SE, TA, TB, TC, TD, TE
As in Plate 5, The stamps which underwent repair show signs of thinning at the top, in the star corners as well as in the check letters squares, suggesting that a transfer roller with blank top and bottom sqaures was used for repair |
| Burrs, Scratches, Marks | DF, DH, FI, KB, KC, LE, LK, LL,MC, OF, SC, SD, SL, TD, TJ |
| Recut Frames or Corners | FF, FG, GL, JD, ND, NK, QL, RE, SE, TB, TE, TF |
Characteristics of Plate 6 State 3 (Second Repair)
| Repair by Re-entry | MD, ND, PD, PE, PG, QE |