The iconic Great Britain 1858-1879 1d rose-red showing a plate number 77.

Three examples on an 1865 cover from Guernsey to Brussels.

 

An enlarged image of the three stamps from the cover clearly showing a plate number '77'

 

The three stamps on the cover showing a plate number '77' have been established scientifically through

state-of-the- art scientific equipment and world renowned forensic scientists to have the paper fibres untampered with and the ink the same.

In fact no evidence whatsoever has been found that would indicate that the three stamps have been faked to show a plate number 77.

For faking to be done the right-hand figure '7' must have been altered from an original figure '3', in five different locations and on three stamps.

The three stamps are known to originate from plate 73, which must have been engraved in its early life with the number '77',

for whatever reason, and then corrected by re-entry.

 

An enlargement of the left hand '77' from stamp SK on the cover

 

As far as the existing and accepted stamps showing a plate number '77' one must ask the following question;

Do they originate from an 1858 imperf plate 77 imprimatur sheet as is the current belief, or where they produced from other re-engraved plates

as this cover suggests?

If the accepted stamps originate from the plate 77 imprimatur sheets, then they must all be pristine in printing detail  and, needless to say, have all the figure 77s identical in features and position to each other and to the roller impression that produced them.

A close study of the existing and accepted stamps indicates that this may not be the case.

The cover and stamps have been expertised and declared as fakes by both The Royal Philatelic Society and The Philatelic Foundation of New York

on grounds that are scientifically unfounded.

Forensic science and the Forensic scientists who have examined the stamps and cover have found the ink to be the same

and the paper fibres untampered with.

There is no doubt that this incredible find has opened the door to research into plate 77 stamps,

a subject on which very little is recorded, researched or documented.

The detailed site on this subject abounds with research and information which would make for some interesting reading.