Below are some possibilities which I have outlined as to possibly when and why the three plate 77 stamps on the cover could have been produced from plate 73. Some may disagree, others may accept my suggestions. However what we undoubtedly have here are three plate 73 impressions that were engraved with the number 77 producing completely genuine stamps showing a plate number 77 which were then corrected back to the number 73 by re-entry using the plate 73 roller impression.

The challenge for every serious specialist of this issue is to try and find out when this was done and why. 'Armchair' philately will certainly not advance any thinking on this matter, and the continuous clinging by some to the unfounded belief that the three stamps have been faked, in order to endorse the fact that no work of this nature could have been carried out on this plate, will also serve no purpose.

The three plate 77 stamps have been proven scientifically to be completely untampered with and every expert opinion stating 'fake' has been proven to be wrong and unfounded. Furthermore, every other possible way of faking has been studied and dismissed.

Something did happen to at least three plate 73 stamps, namely stamps RL, SK and SL in which these impressions were altered to 77. The major task ahead for the 'serious' philatelist is to try and uncover the truth behind this most bizarre of philatelic mysteries.

This link will outline some details on the forensic science examinations that were carried out on the stamps.

http://www.1dplate77.com/1dplate77/foensicscience3.htm

Plate 73

The published information on the production, repair, printing and defacement of this plate is as follows:

- Finished: 12th February 1861

- Registered: 14th March 1861

- Put to press: 1st March 1864

- Repaired: 31st January 1868*

- Removed from press: 5th March 1868

- Partially defaced: 5th May 1868

- Defaced: 23rd June 1868

- Number of heads re-entered: 66/67 heads

- Number of sheets printed: 529,900 sheets

- Printing lifetime of the plate: 4 years (c. 208 weeks)

- Average number of sheets printed per year: c.130,000 sheets

*The major repair date to the earliest plates of 31st January 1868 is in 'my view' open to very serious question. It forms a major part of the unwavering thinking of GB philatelists who have an interest in this issue. I do however feel that this repair date does need addressing. This paper will perhaps illustrate this point.

Point of interest:

I am advised that the printing of this issue was done at the rate of 450-500 sheets per day, approximately seven hours per day, six days per week.

If we take it that the plate was working non stop for 208 weeks then at the minimum rate of 450 sheets per day it would have printed 561,600 sheets- The over run of sheets accounts for 11 weeks of printing time less than the total stated time of 208 weeks.

If we take it that the plate was working non stop for 208 weeks then at the maximum rate of 500 sheets per day it would have printed 624,000 sheets-The over run of sheets accounts for 31 weeks of printing time less than the total stated time of 208 weeks.

If we take it that the plate was working non stop for 208 weeks then at an average rate of 475 sheets per day it would have printed 592,800 sheets-The over run of sheets accounts for 22 weeks of printing time less than the total stated time of 208 weeks.

It is clear from the above that plate 73 was out of commission between 11 and 31 weeks of its working life. Giving the printers plenty of time to have it repaired at any time they wished.

Some will only accept  the fact that plate 73 was 'continuously' on the press between 1st March 1864 and the 31st January 1868, and which would have meant that no major or perhaps minor work could have been carried out on it. These  following' will also put this point into very serious question.

By 31st January 1868 there were 33 plates ready for press. Did the printers have 33 presses available at that time on which every one of these 33 plates was continuously on them printing sheets? If this was in deed the case then this would also have meant that they must have had more than thirty professional printers on duty all the time in order to operate these 33 presses continuously! I somehow don't think that this was the case. Evidence from Perkins Bacon correspondence suggests that up to a maximum of 18 presses 'may' have been available for printing stamps. If that. See appendix A2 http://www.1dplate77.com/1dplate77/appendices.htm

Now if 30+ printing presses were not available, as can be surmised from appendix A2, then we must accept the fact that plate 73 was removed from press for some periods of time between the dates 1st March 1864 and the 31st January 1868 in order to allow for any repairs to be carried out on it in the full knowledge that there were other plates available to go on the press in order to take over the printing of this issue while the repairs were carried out on it.

We know that it took Perkins Bacon 9 working days to produce a new plate, and that experiments carried out recently by a professional engraver show that it can take a competent engraver about 10 minutes to alter a plate number on a plate. Any corrections carried out to some impressions on the plate will therefore only take a matter of several hours. The re-entry of say 60-70 heads would have perhaps taken a professional stamp engraver/plate maker of that time maybe a day or at worst two, bearing in mind the published details in a Perkins Bacon letter dated 17th Feb. 1864 to Ormond Hill which explains that it takes four full days to produce a plate with 240 impressions from a blank plate. An extract from this letter is shown below and the full letter is included in appendix A3 http://www.1dplate77.com/1dplate77/appendices.htm

"To transfer the 240 labels on to a Plate takes one day, and a very hard day's work it is. Perfect accuracy in the arrangement of the labels cannot however at present be secured if the roller is taken off the Plate during it's manufacture and therefore it must be assumed as one day's work. To transfer the Legends and scrape the burr off the steel takes 3 full ordinary days, so that a Plate takes in the Transferring Room 4 days exclusive of the hardening and subsequent cleaning."

Based on these facts therefore, any plate under repair would have been out of commission for only a very short period of time. Not long enough to reduce its capacity to produce the overall number of sheets it printed throughout its lifetime.

Now, in order to look at the repairs and the repair date to some of the impressions 'more closely' then perhaps we should look at this issue from a totally different perspective. It is clear that some plate 73 stamps did show weakened plate numbers and frame lines which presumably needed correction.

This correction can be dated to probably the year '1865' through the three stamps RL, SK and SL which were cancelled in November 1865.

Advocates of the fact that the plate was on the press non-stop during 1865 to allow for any repairs to be carried out, then the following information on the number of plates available for printing will again illustrate the fact that it could have been easily removed from duty for a short period of time in order to allow for any repairs to be carried out on it.

By the end of March 1865 plates 71-98 excluding plates 75 and 77 were available for press, making a total of 26 plates.

The fact that 26 plates were available for press by the end of June 1865 means that there were more plates available for press than printing presses.

In my view, although plate 73 was on the press for prolonged periods, there was certainly the time available to have it removed for repair and very likely indeed during its 'early' working life, in the full knowledge that there were other plates available to take over the printing.

In any event it is difficult to see how the removal of plate 73 from a printing press for a day or two or maybe even more could, in any way, affect the total number of sheets it could have printed in a life time of well over four years.

Possible reasons for the existence of plate 73 stamps

showing a plate number 77

While we may never know the true reasons for why some plate 73 stamps were engraved with the number 77, here are some possibilities for their existence. Of course other reasons not mentioned below may well exist.

1- An engraving repair error through a misunderstanding at the printers.

2- An intentional temporary repair whereby the number 77 was used as marker number on impressions which showed a weak unclear plate number. The number 77 was never used.

3- An intentional temporary repair whereby the number 77 was used as a marker number for heads that needed re-entry- a printer's 'secret mark'.

4- An intentional way of producing stamps with a plate number 77 for collectors in the knowledge that some impressions did need repair by re-entry in any event.

The weakened plate numbers- Could this be a clue?

There is no doubt that the plate number on some  plate 73 stamps appears to be evidently weak and at times quite imperceptible. An example dated MR or AP 7 / 1865 and which is illustrated below clearly shows this observation.

Stamp NG from plate 73 showing a worn and hardly perceptible plate number. The stamp is cancelled MR/AP 7/65. Dating this wear to around that time. The possibility does exist, and this of course needs to be re-searched and confirmed, that the left hand '3' on the roller impression may have been retouched (strengthened) before using it to re-enter new impressions.

 

This problem must have therefore been clearly addresses early on as it is most doubtful that the printers would have allowed a plate in this condition to print stamps for a prolonged period of time, as was the case with plate 73.

Below are a few more examples showing this weakened 'plate number' state and similar positions with these numbers clearly stronger.

 

Possible states of the repaired plate 73 stamps

Logic at least dictates that there 'may be' the following 'four' states of this plate as far as stamps RL, SK, and SL at least are concerned. These states are as follows:

A- State 1- As per the imprimatur sheets printed from 1st March 1864- these stamps will show wear with time

B- State 2- Showing a plate number '77'- produced through hand engraving very possibly some time in 1865

C- State 3- Repair back to the original number '73'- produced through re-entry using the plate 73 roller, some time possibly in 1865 and obviously after the date of state 2

D- State 4- The so called 'repairs' of 1868 said to be carried out on the 31st January 1868!

State 1

Stamps RL, SK and SL- note the left frame line which is relatively solid. The imprimatur impression illustrated below.

State 2

Stamps RL, SK and SL from the cover showing a plate number '77'- note the left frame line which has weakened

State 3

Stamps RL, SK and SL showing a plate number '73' produced by re-entry

Awaiting examples

State 4

The so called repairs of 31st January 1868. If this state does exist on these three positions, and it may, then these would undoubtedly be very scarce indeed. Specialists of course would need to advise us accordingly of the features that confirm that these repaired stamps were actually produced post 31st January 1868.

Awaiting examples