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GREAT BRITAIN

ONE PENNY (1d) Black Re-entries

The First Postage Stamp


The PENNY BLACK was the world's very first postage stamp, issued in May of 1840. It was line-engraved and printed from a flat steel plate of 240 images, each one rocked in one by one by a transfer roll. And with it came our specialty of the wonderful world of re-entries! Many plate positions contained fresh entries, which look identical to re-entries, but occurred before the plate was put into use. Plate wear and damage resulted in the necessity to strengthen the worn or damaged images on the plate by realigning the transfer roll with each worn position and re-entering the design by rocking the transfer roll back and forth over the earlier image. If this was not done precisely, doubling of the design would occur and a specialty was born! If it was done precisely, the old image would be deepened and strengthened, but no visible doubling would occur. If this repair took place over a design that already contained a fresh entry, it would be altered. Another, different case of doubling might occur, or previously doubled areas might be blotted out. All of this resulted in massive areas of study, with numerous books published on the various fresh entries, re-entries, retouches and the like. And this study continues to this day.
   

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*1

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Major Re-entry

Plate 1a  Position HD

This stamp shows a beautiful, sharp Fresh Entry, visible in all of the lettering, 3 of the 4 corner boxes, and the bottom margin.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*2  

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Major Re-entry

Plate 1b  Position HD

This stamp shows the same stamp as above, but from the re-entered state of the plate. Notice that some of the re-entry details have been altered, while others are now completely missing.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*3

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Major Re-entry

Plate 1b  Position CL

This stamp is from the re-entered state of Plate 1 and shows a nice re-entry in the UL and LR boxes, some marks in POSTAGE, and many marks in ONE PENNY.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*4

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Major Re-entry

Plate 1b  Position MH

This stamp is from the re-entered state of Plate 1 and shows a nice re-entry in both upper corner boxes, and parts of POSTAGE.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*5

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Major Re-entry

Plate 1b  Position OA

This stamp is from the re-entered state of Plate 1 and shows a nice shift in the UR corner box and tiny bits of POSTAGE, along with small remnants in the bottom margin below NN.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*6

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Re-entry

Plate 2  Position PL

This stamp shows a doubling in the UR corner and tiny marks in some of the lettering.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*7

Scott #1

Great Britain

1d Black

Major Re-entry

Plate 8  Position DL

This stamp shows a marked upwards shift, visible in the UR corner box and portions of ONE PENNY.

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur

Courtesy of Jean-Claude Vasseur


*8

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Ralph E. Trimble

Specialist in BNA Re-entries
retrimble@rogers.com