1¢ Franklin Issue of 1851-1857, PLATE 4 Plate 4 Introduction and Characteristics |
| Plate 4 Can Drive One to Insanity
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. |
| Plate 4 Intro
On first inspection, Plate 4 seems simple, but the closer one looks, the harder it becomes. A confused mass of plating marks that seem to never quite match the published diagrams, six reliefs instead of the familiar three from the previous plates 1 thru 3, plating marks that disappear and new ones that show up later in the plates life, all this occuring in about a years worth of printing. The reconstruction of plate 4 will be difficult, so much so, that no sane person who is familiar with the philatelist's plating art and platers trick's would attempt to unravel. Fortunately, sanity has never been the platers primary concern. The quest to decipher this seemingly cryptographic nightmare has enthralled some of the greatest platers and philatelist's for well over a century now. |
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