1869 Bi-Color Invert Proofs on Card

15c. Three types ⁽*⁾

The production department of the National Bank Note Company was having trouble with the 15c stamp (Type I). They had no other choice after only approximately 2,000 satisfactory impressions (200,000 stamps) had been run off the press, but to cease all productions of this value until a solution could be found. The difficulties in obtaining proper alignment of the stamped paper for its second run through the press and the resultant waste of time, effort and material was indeed excessive. The printers did not want to re-engrave completely a die with the possibility that the new die would make so obvious a difference that it would not receive the approval they had already obtained from the Post Office Department on the present design. The engravers huddled and came up with the suggestion that the present die might succesfully be altered by streghtening some of the existing lines and adding a few aditional lines to make it more like the frame lines of the 24c value and hopefully correct, at least to a satisfactory degree, the difficulties they were having. But the Government could change the designs and require the engraving of new dies, the manufacture of new transfer rolls, and the production of new plates whenever it desired. The Bank Note Company had not input. The firm had to do what was required and had placed a cash bond with the government to guarantee that the contract would be fulfilled in every particular.

A new transfer roll was made and a new plate of one hundred subjects was carefully laid out, examined critically, and when they were satisfied, the plate was hardened and made ready for the press. By May 23rd Type II had been born and the new stamp had been produced, delivered to the Stamp Agent in New York and distributed to at least one post office, where was sold adn used. In less than two months, the change had been mad (seven weeks).

In order to celebrate the Centennial of USA in 1875, the Post Office Department would re-print and re-issue a complete set of all postage stamps that had been issued. 15c Type III is only known in the re-issue of 1875. The new design did not add more lines that theoretically could better hide the misalignments. It contained even fewer lines than the unsatisfactory Type I.

Type I	Type II	Type III


The frame for this type has faint horizontal lines all around the inside of the opening in the frame.	The frame of this type has faint diagonal lines on the left, bottom and right sides, inside the opening in the frame. Across the top opening of the frame are heavy lines, which form a "diamond" in the middle.	This type is only known in the re-issue of 1875 and has no shading lines inside the opening in the frame. Otherwise, the frame design is very close to Type I.

⁽*⁾ Source: Cryier, J.C.M. Op.cit.