Pos 52L4

1¢ Franklin Issue of 1851-1857, PLATE 4
Pos 52L4, (Scott #22)

Scott #22, Blue,
Type IIIa, Relief F
Issued both imperforate and perforate.
Had this been an imperforate copy then it would be Scott Number 8A.

Plate 4 changed it's appearance as many plating marks faded away due to plate wear, and new plating marks developed over the life of the plate. One of the most annoying aspects of trying to identify Plate 4 positions is the appearance and disappearance of these plating marks.

The red arrow below the U of US indicates the small colorless "F" Relief flaw. The Ashbrook/Neinken diagrams exaggerate the size of this flaw. The shoulder dot can also be seen below. This dot is found on nearly all "F" Reliefs from this plate.

The lack of the top curved line and dash marks above the "TA" of POSTAGE is consistent for this position. The plating diagrams do not reflect this correctly.

Figure 1. (BELOW) Close up of the "F" Relief flaw.

Figure 2. (BELOW) Blur protruding from the top right Ornament across and above Ornament "Y." This is shown in the plating diagrams.

Figure 3. (BELOW) Guide dot and partial right plume. The Ashbrook/Neinken plating diagrams show a horizontal faint line across the right ball. This copy only shows a blur.

Figure 4. (BELOW) The Ashbrook/Neinken plating diagrams show a horizontal faint line between the left plume and left ball remains. This feature probably wore away or was very faint. A small horizontal scratch plating mark can barely be seen west of Ornament "H." The horizontal dash of color indicated by 4 red arrows is not shown correctly in the plating diagrams.

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