Questions About A 3c Washington 1851-57

Hello everyone!

I have this USA #11 and I have two questions about it. First, a question about the color. I know that it's almost impossible to identify a color only with a picture on internet but I have a question: is that possible that this stamp have a plum shade? Or this is more possible to be a brownish orange brown?

The stamp on the picture almost have the same same shade than it haves for real. I mean, the picture just made it less deep. In real, it looks just a little deeper.

And I have another question: can someone help me plating this stamp? I know that it can be from 4,6,7 or 8. Can someone help me plating it and looking at all the recut descriptions and help me remarking all of them to identify it?
Please, moderators,move this topic to this one:

Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps - Stamp Community Forum http://goscf.com/t/72775



Thanks,

CS

You will have better luck asking a moderator to move your image & question here

http://goscf.com/t/72775

To do that, do I have to edit my topic and ask that in my topic?

To answer your first question, I am 99% sure your stamp is not the Plum color but rather is a "Changeling". A stamp that has undergone a chemical reaction that has changed the color. The change in color on your stamp is from sulphurization, a type of oxidation/reduction reaction that changes the pigments used in the colors on the 3c variety. Exposure to hydorgen peroxide can bring back a color that is more like the original. I've attached images showing a before and after of a 3c that was exposed to hydrogen peroxide.

Oh, and how do you do to expose the stamp to hydrogen peroxide?

As for your second question... I'd need a higher quality image to plate it with certainty. The wide margin (selvage) at left tells you thats it from the first column of the left or right plate so that narrows down the position considerably. I'm guessing it a B relief but cant say with certainty given the image quality. You are correct that it's an 11 from plates 4, 6, 7 or 8. Stamps from Plate 4 have a top label block that is recut and your's doesn't appear to be recut so thats rules out Plate 4. Besides the outer framelines, there wasn't a lot of recutting on plates 6-8 so I would focus on the framelines. The gap in framelines at the upper left corner should help. Compressed images might help you as well as they amplify the variations in the framelines.

Regards, Harper1249

There's a variety of ways. Some people will submerge the stamp directly into the H2O2 for a short and then rinse it in clean water. I did this for a while but felt like it was a little to harsh and was worried I would damage the stamp. I now have a plastic container with H2O2 that has a smaller container in it that I can place the stamp on and not have it in direct contact with the liquid. I then seal up the container and let it "cook" for a while. I find it to works quite well although it takes longer than when directly placed in the liquid.

Thank you really much for the informations!

Wait, how can you do the difference between plate 6 and 7???

Does not look like Plum to me. A Plum 11/11A is a very brownish color with not a ton of red. It is more of a dull purplish brown. The white in the paper looks pretty yellow in your scan - impossible to tell from the scan if it is the lighting or if the stamp is yellowed more than normal, but it looks way too red to be a plum.

I agree that your stamp has likely darkened due to the conditions it was stored it. Hard to say from a scan, but my guess would be a brownish carmine shade.

Plate 6 and 7 are usually differentiated only by plating the individual stamps. More here: https://stampplating.com/identify-plates

Thanks,Philazilla! Yes, I know this site, and that's where I learned everything about plating and shades! For my stamp's shade, like I said, in real, the color looks deeper. Do you want to see another picture with another lightning?

No matter how you scan it, nobody will be able to tell you that it is a plum. It is very very unlikely you found a random plum 11. You'll need to see it next to a reference copy to have a better idea, or gamble $30 for a cert. you will likely end up with a $1 stamp and a $30 cert though.

Ok, I understand, thanks!