Gallery

> THE EARLY POSTAGE DUE STAMPS

The method nf preparing the plates for these issues was quite unique. The models from which the plates were made were in the exact size of the final stamps. The practice was to prepare four cliches printed in black (master proofs). Prints from the cliches were then pasted up on preperforated cardboard arranged to complete a make-up of the pane as it was to be printed. Each of the prints on the make-up (master proofs in plate make—up) were then retouched in white and india inks to correct any poor impressions of the cliches. The counting numbers were then glued above the columns, and the margin line at the bottom was drawn on the card-board. The entire plate make-up was then photographed and from it the final plate was prepared for printing.  Figure 2.

Other issues of Danzig show these 4 master cliches on small sheets, both on watermarked stamp paper and on unwatermarked paper, in different colors, indicating that they were used as trial color proofs, but no such color trials are known of the postage due stamps. The trial color proofs which exist of this issue are in green or orange but only from .
complete printing panes of 50 subjects. It seems that experiments also were carried on with the type of paper to be used, as black plate proofs also exist on rose tinted paper which is colored through.

The first issue was printed on watermarked paper, the watermark being a horizontal large hexagon.  Figure 3.  A few values, namely the 20 pf., 80 pf., and 240 pf., are also known with watermark vertical large hexagon. Only one sheet of 50 subjects of each of the vertical hexagon watermarked stamps were ever found.

A study in detail discloses that in spite of the limited use of and the careful retouching of the master cliches on the master make-up, minute differences exist from position to position, so that almost every position within the pane can be determined. An example of such a study of the lO pf. value can be seen from Figure 4.

 

Danzig Report   Nr. 2 - April - 1975, Page 6.