This article published in Postal Stationery, Vol. 47, No. 3, Whole # 342, MAY-JUN, 2005, p 64
Die 12 Counterfeit Entire #2
Bill Lehr, © JUN 2003
Email: jobi@collector.org
Discovery of the original Die 12, the 1¢ blue,
A report on the
examination of the second Die 12 counterfeit entire (a comparison to the
original discovery):
Original
Discovery Second Discovery
Stamp imprint:
Overall measurement of the stamp is 20 ¾ X 25 mm. (same as the original discovery).
Color appears to be slightly darker than the original discovery.
Imprint is located 3 mm. from the top and 4 ¾ mm. from the side (same as the original discovery).
Lettering appears to be worn with damaged letters and missing serifs:
Especially obvious are the “O” and the “N” of “ONE”, the “N” of “CENT” and the “A” (broken cross bar) of “POSTAGE”.
The embossed bust evinces damage to both the bridge of the nose and to the tip of the nose.
Bridge of the nose appears to be deeper with pronounced flat spots.
Tip of the nose lacks the very distinctive sharp, rounded tip of the original discovery.
Jacket buttons on the second discovery appear more pronounced due to the presence of some blue ink in the impressions.
Original Discovery
Second Discovery
Envelope Knife:
Size and knife appear to match the original discovery exactly based on an overlay comparison.
Gum exhibits a “square end” on the left with some thinning into the left side of the tongue.
Termination of the gum on the right end is indistinct.
The envelope is folded with the side flaps over the bottom flap.
Overall size of the envelope is 151 X 82 mm.
Original
Second Discovery
Paper:
Un-watermarked diagonally laid buff colored paper with the major lines spaced 25 mm. between and angled at 52° counterclockwise from the lower, front edge. Minor laid lines are approximately 1 mm. wide and are spaced 1 mm. between.
There are numerous inclusions in the paper.
Color appears slightly darker (due to toning or light soil?) than the paper color of the original discovery.
Neither the original discovery nor the second discovery match any paper color of any known genuine printings from the Nesbitt second printings that have been used for comparison.
Condition:
Corner fold at the lower left and a minor bend along the right edge.
A smudge (10 X 13mm.) in the lower left appears to be an erased pencil notation.
There is what appears to be an erased ink notation at the lower right.
Numerous small pin holes are scattered throughout.
A very minor tear (3 ¼ mm.) exists along the flap fold at the left.
There is a paper adhesion (8 X 16 mm) on the rear left side flap.
A minor abrasion (12 mm.) of the top flap exists near the left side of the tongue.
Some minor residual adhesive appears on the right side flap.
Typical minor edge soiling occurs along the top and the bottom edges.
Both bottom corners of the envelope are rounded from wear.
There is a faint fingerprint located at the upper right below and partially into the stamp imprint.
Conclusion:
The second counterfeit Die 12 entire is identical to the original counterfeit Die 12 entire discovery except for an apparent difference in the ink color of the stamp imprint and in the apparent damage to the working die. The minor color difference and the wear to the die would seem to indicate that many more than the two reported Die 12 counterfeit entires were produced. One variety of the Die 12 type 1 cut square forgeries (six pointed stars/embossed on laid paper) appears to have been cut from these counterfeit entires.
Bibliography:
Nesbitt Stamped Envelopes & Wrappers of the
Harrison & Bacon
Castle (as supplement to
Stamped Envelopes and Wrappers of the
Bartels
Bartels Company, 1929
Thorp-Bartels Catalogue of US Stamped Envelopes,
Century Edition
Thorp,
Bartels Company, 1954
Forged
Casey, Joseph J.
The Stamp Journal
Vol. 5, No. 58, Oct. 1879
Catalog of the 19th Century US Stamped
Envelopes and Wrappers of the
Mintz, Allen, editor
United Postal Stationery
Society, Inc., 2001
Fake
Haeseler, Rob
Linn’s Stamp News
Vol. 75, No. 3831, pps 1, 33
Who Made Such Crude Fakes of
Cut Squares?
Hotchner, John M.
Linn’s Stamp News
Vol. 74, No. 3779, p6
Forgeries of the 19th
Century US Stamped Envelopes
Kinabrew, JM, Jr.
Postal Stationery
Vol. 20, No. 4, Whole # 191, pps 115-123
US Envelope Die 12 Forgery
Revisited
Lehr, Bill
Postal Stationery
Vol. 44, No. 3, Whole # 324,
p 53
Lurch,
Postal Stationery
Vol. 4, No. 4, Whole # 72, p
49
Focus on Forgeries: US 1860 1c Benjamin Franklin envelope cut
square, U19
Tyler, Varro, E
Linn’s Stamp News
Counterfeits of the Star Dies
Undersander, Dan
Postal Stationery
Vol. 42, No. 1, Whole # 310, pps 13-14
Fake Nesbitt cut squares came
from
Undersander, Dan
Linn’s Stamp News
Undersander, Dan
Postal Stationery
Vol. 44, No. 1, Whole # 322, pps 4-6
Forgeries and Imitations of
US Embossed Envelopes
Wells Leighton E.
Stamps
29 DEC, 1945, pps 524-525
Catalogue for Advanced
Collectors
Collin,
Henry & Calman, Henry L.
American Journal of Philately
Second Series, Vol. VII, pps 247-248
