"We deeply regret the delay which has taken place, and think you are entitled to know the cause why we have sometimes of late been so wanting in our usual punctuality. When we undertook to supply our Home Government with postage stamps we did not anticipate anything like the demand, which began and continued annually to increase, and therefore prepared ourselves with but one original die; but from that one die we have had to prepare and produce over 50,000 engravings on steel. This die
experienced no visible deterioration for many years. But about two years since the plates from it showed signs of weakness, which continued gradually to increase until those that formerly produced 100,000 good impressions latterly gave only 20,000 to 30,000. The time occupied in preparing these plates at first was great; but owing to these causes we have been kept incessantly occupied in their manufacture with the machinery appropriated to that purpose, as it was utterly impossible for the
Government to suspend any part of their supply of stamps to the public, as required. When we ascertained the origin of this falling off in the productiveness of our plates, and that it was not accidental, which at first we suspected it to be, we obtained permission to prepare another original die similar to the first, but from which we have now secured a sufficient number of flat
dies to last for centuries, and these we could easily have done in the former instance, had we supposed it would prove necessary.
The plates are now even better than they were at first; but it has taken a long time to meet this extraordinary and unexpected drag upon us, which will, however, cease in two or three weeks, and we can promise the New South Wales 2d. postage plate, with its accompaniments, in three weeks, and the 1d, and 3d. in six weeks from the present time."

Here is a link to some further work published by E D Bacon regarding flat dies produced for the 1858 issue. Researchers may wish to study the above content and try and connect it with the published text on this link. This may assist in the understanding of what went on at that time with regard to the preparation of the dies for the 1858-79 issue.

E D Bacon on the 'possible' production of the dies and plates for the 1858-79 issue

Abed H Najjar