1c Blue, Ty. I, Large Die Proof on India (5P1). On 32 x 40mm card, bright color, showing clear layout lines from the die

VERY FINE. ONE OF THREE REPORTED PROOF IMPRESSIONS FROM THE ONE-CENT 1851 ISSUE DIE, ONLY ONE OF WHICH IS IN BLUE. PROBABLY EXECUTED DURING THE PRODUCTION PHASE OF THE 1875 REPRINT AND DISTRIBUTED CIRCA 1910.

This die impression shows the so-called cancellation dot in the oval at left, which was applied to the die in 1860 and reproduced on all subjects in Plates 11 and 12. It also shows two small dots below "C" of "Cents" and a strong horizontal layout line at upper left, which are not found on Plates 1 through 12, but are found on the 1875 Reprint plate, which led Neinken to opine that this impression and the few others like it were pulled from a die prepared for the 1875 Reprint (see Neinken, page 19). On one of the Black proofs there is further evidence of provenance, a pencil note on back "From J. E. Ralph. [signed] J. M. Bartels". J. E. Ralph of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is known to have distributed die proofs in 1910.

Ex Finkelburg and Liberman

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