Penny Plate Varieties

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PLATE 71

Finished 31.1.61. Registered 14.3.61. Put to
press 1.3.64. Earliest use 6.4.64. Sheets printed
557,000. Defaced 9.6.68.

GeneraI characteristics -
Many units have strengthened or recut
frames. This usually refers to right-hand frames,
and applies to all or part of the frame.

Varieties –

AC Gap in side of N.W. square
AE Faint line below ONE
AI Burr in right margin
AJ Lower right frame recut
AK Burr in left margin
BB Left frame recut
BE Lower part of left-hand frame recut, lower
frame slopes down below lower E
BG Right frame possibly recut
BI Right frame recut
BJ Burr in left margin
BK Burr in left-hand margin, thin line in upper
K square near and parallel to side
BL Burr in left-hand margin, right-hand 7
deformed and weak in some prints
CD Right frame recut
CE N.E. square recut
CC Upper and lower G's differ
DA Right frame recut
DC Right frame recut
DD Right frame recut
EA Right frame possibly rccut
EB Right frame recut
ED Marks in all letter squares, burr in right
margin
FD Right frame recut
FE Dot after lower E
FF Dot after S.E. F
FJ Dot in S.E. of lower J square
GC Right frame recut
GD Right frame recut
GF Baseline very thin, burr in right margin and
marks in right-hand letter square
GG Mark in POSTAGE
GH Right frame recut
HC Right frame recut, circular mark to left of
lower C
IC Right frame recut
ID Right frame recut
IE Frame recut left
IF Right frame recut, PENNY mishapen, this
unit about 0'4 mm lower than IE
II left frame recut
JD Right frame possibly recut
JI Heavy burr in right margin
KC Right frame recut
KD Right frame recut
KF Right frame recut
LC The 'C's differ from those on KC
LJ Mark under bottom line of upper L in some
prints, making it resemble an open 4
MII Lower M is I.3 mm high and broad, upper
M is I 5 mm high and narrow
MD Left leg of Upper M considerably lengthened,
dots in right hand side margin
MG Mark in top of PENNY ( r e - e n t r y ' l )
MJ As MB
MK Re-entry POSTAGE, value, rrargins and
lower M square
ML Unit set 0.3 mm lower than MK
NA Marks on bridge of nose and eye
NC Circular marks to left of lower C
NE Dot after upper N
NG Burr in left margin
NH N.W. square left and lower frames recut on
some prints
NI Left frame stronger than right
OA Right frame recut
OH Right frame recut
OI left frame possibly recut
OK Right frame possibly recut, marks in
POSTAGE- and value (re-entry?)
OL Dot after upper L
PE Dot after upper P
QC Diagonal mark down front PENNY to
POSTAGE of RC
QD Upper curve of lower Q thick
QH Mark or blur through ONE
RB Vertical stroke through crown
RC See QC, small mark in POSTAGE
RF Toe of upper R extended
RH Right frame possibly recut
SC Upper S has small almost closed upper loop
SH Right frame possibly recut
TF Right frame possibly recut
TH Right frame recut
TJ Right frame possibly recur
TK Reentry through POSTAGE. value and
upper margin

Varieties of printing und usage
l. Inverted watermark common
2. Short stamp from A row
3. Stamp frorn A row possibly intperf. on three
sides (perf. at bottont)
4. OUS ovcrprint in red reading up
5. Copestake underprint type 9
6. Used abroad: A25, A26, B0l, 832, C, C37,
c5l, c 8 l

PLATE 73

Finished 2.2.61. Registered 14.3.61. Put to
press .3.64. Earliest use 3.5.64. Repairs - 67 “labels” on 31.1.68. It is likely that all the stamps in the A, B, C, D, E, S and T rows were repaired. The repaired stamps are scarcer than the unrepaired ones as the plate was taken out of service quite soon after the repairs took place. Sheets printed 529,900. Defaced 5.3.68.

Varieties -
AC Mark in N.W. of upper C square
AK Tiny dots in bottom Left A square - semi constant. Burr in right hand margin semi constant.
BG Vertical blur in left of lower B square in
some prints
BK Marks in PENNY - semi-constant. Burr in left hand margin semi constant.
CF Upper half of right frameline recut
DA Mark below ONE semi-constant
DC Right side strongly recut
DD Right side strongly recut
DF Right side strongly recut
DK Upper K thin
FF Check letters weak
GA Lower half of right frame recut
HL Left side rather worn in late prints
lG Lower half of right frame recut
lK Left frame line apparently extends above in
some prints
KA Vertical line through upper A
LC Lower C retouched
LD Lower L very weak
LG Left side weak
MA Dot over POSTAGE
MB Mark in top of lower B
MK Mark in ONE
NB Blur over lower B
PB Burr in left margin opposite plate number
Pl Left frame weak
RA Both framelines recut
RG Top of POSTAGE weak in some prints
RH Left frame recut
Rl Mark in upper I square in some prints
Q.l N.W. square weak in some prints
SA Dot in margin above upper S in some prints
SB Right frame weak
SK Flaw in top right S square SW of S
TB Burr in left margin
TE Lower frame very weak under PENNy in
some prints
TG Right frame apparently recut in some prints
TI Marks in upper I square in some prints
TJ Burr in left ntargin
TL Mark near top of upper L

Repairs -

4 units were repaired both by re-entry and by hand retouch –

BA

BH

CC

PK

13 units were repaired just by hand retouch –

In all cases the worn right side was recut with the check letters being unaffected due to the lack of any compression effect which would have been caused by the re-entry process if used. The repaired stamps (state II) show a recut right frameline but the head still shows wear.

AB

BB

BC

BD

BE

BF

BG

CF

DB

DC (before printing started)

DD (before printing started)

EA

EB

EC

77 units were repaired by re-entry

Stamps repaired in this way show strengthening of all of the engraving and also thinned check letters due to the metal being compressed under the pressure of the reentry process and the letters punched in get thinner.

AA

AC

AD

AE

AG

AH

AI

AJ

AK

BJ

BK

BL

CA

CD

CF

CG

CH

CJ

CK

CL

DE

DF

DG

DH

DI

DJ

DK

DL

ED

EE

EF

EG

EH

EI

EJ

EK

EL

FC

FG

GA

HA

PL

QI

QJ

QL

RA

RI

RJ

RK

RL

SA

SB

SC

SD

SE

SF

SG

SH

SI

SJ

SK

SL

TA

TB

TC

TE

TD

TF

TG

TH

TI

TJ

TK

TL

Plate 89

Finished 18.3.64. Hardened 21.3.64. Registered 22.3.64. Put to press 22.3.64. Earliest use 9.5.64.Sheets printed 503,900. Defaced I0.10.68
Note: The hardening record is annotated "Clean but not very hard".

Plate 177

IE - Weak right frameline

IF

IG

Image: Plate 77 strip IE IF IG

PLATE 102 (112)

Finished 21.8.65. Hardened 27th February 1866 Registered
4.4.66. Put to press 16.4.66. Earliest use
29.6.66. Sheets printed 495,200. Defaced 9.4.70.

There is a note in the hardening records that
two 'heads' were spoilt and re-entered'

Varieties on the plate
AB Lower frame strengthened
BA Dot under lower B
BC Base line appears thick under value (semi constant)
BE Burr in left-hand margin
BG Marks in upper B square in some prints
BI Upper I weak, head may have been reentered
CC Burr in left-hand margin
CF Right margin possibly recut
EG Upper G appears to have two states, one
heavier than the other
GA Right-hand frame possibly extends below (not seen, reference from Akerman)
GL Eye appears darker than normal
HE Upper E has lower limb pointing downwards
IH Burr in left-hand margin
JK Semi-constant scratch from top centre of
head to POSTAGE
MI Burr in left-hand margin
NC Semi-constant burr in bottom half of left-hand margin
NH Burr in left-hand margin
OK Two states: left frame weak in first state
and later recut
SC Semi-constant burr in right-hand margin
PF Semi-constant Marks round upper J
QH Top of POSTAGE weak in some prints
RC Burr in left-hand margin
SC Semi-constant burr in left-hand margin
SJ – S flaw joins top of S to frameline