TYPE/SUB-TYPE/PLATE - ORIGINAL/CLEANSED COAT OF ARMS

The TYPE is indicated in Roman number (I, II, III); the SUB-TYPE in small letter (a, b, c), the PLATE in normal number (1, 2, 3) for hand made paper and in capital letter for machine made paper (A, B, C).

TYPE

The stamps printed from cliché comes directly from secondary matrices without any retouch is classified as I TYPE and the common characteristic is the original coat of arms.

For the 45 CENTES, prepared in a hurry, the clichè was prepared with a considerable number of 30 CENTES manually replacing the “30” with the “45” (for this reason the 45 have different position depending of its position in the sheets).

The II TYPE has the original coat of arms but the value modified (CENTES or the number).

In the first issue only two II TYPE stamps are known: the 15 and 45 CENTES. For the 15 CENTES the quality of the print was not judged sufficient as the secondary matrices and the primary stereotype; for this reason was prepared new secondary matrices utilizing as primary stereotype a cliché of 10 CENTES (replacing the “0” with a “5”.

For the 45 CENTES the secondary matrices was prepared utilizing as primary stereotype a cliché of 45 where the value was aligned with the word CENTES.

In the III TYPE the modification involved almost all the part of the drawing, the common characteristic is the retouched coat of arms (like the dots under the paw – aligned and detached in the III TYPE – inclined and often united in the I and II TYPE; the strengthening of the white line below the shield – see picture). This III TYPE is present for all the value without the 5 CENTES; for this value are sufficient the number of stamps already printed.

Generally speaking I underline that the background is unique for all the stamps of I and II type, that means that the position of the dots are the same. On the contrary in the stamps of III type the background is different depending on the value (there were 10 secondary matrices retouched to create the new matrices).

It is interested the retouches of the 30 centes:

1) in the final part of the ribbon in the stamps of I and II type there were 4 vertical lines ; in the stamps of III type there were 4 horizontal lines;

2) on the right side of the neck of the left eagle there are 3 engravings visible.

Date in which appear the III tipe stamps:

15 CENTES: 25/8/1852        30 CENTES: 28/5/1853

45 CENTES: 26/4/1855        10 CENTES: 14/7/1857

SUB-TYPE

All the modification that don’t concern the coat of arms or the value are called SUB-TYPE. Generally speaking regards improvement like the second E of CENTES of 10 and 15 CENTES or occasional element like the SUB-TYPE of the 15 CENTES III TYPE generated by the secondary matrices.

PLATE

It is a set of stamps with the same characteristic. For Austria and Lombardy-Venetia stamps we speak of new plate when part or all clichè changed characteristics.

TYPOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION

It is a set of cliché, typographic spaces, etc. that the typographer prepared for a print cycle; when the print is finished the composition can be ordered or pell-mell removed. In all the cases the stamps printed belonged to the same plate because the clichè is the same although placed in different position.

In fact it is proved that some clichè occupied several different position during the course of their existence. From what has been said it follows that there can be several compositionof the same plate, but it is impossible to say how many.

ORIGINAL COAT OF ARMS                                             CLEANSED COAT OF ARMS

ORIGINAL OR RETOUCHED COAT OF ARMS

ORIGINAL COAT OF ARMS: common characteristic: the three dots under the paw are inclined and ofter two are united (1). It is not visible the white line between the inferior shield frameline and the ornament under the shield (3). With the original coat of arms were printed all the stamps TYPE I and II. The coat of arms is present only on hand made paper.

RETOUCHED COAT OF ARMS: common characteristic: the dots under the paw are horizontal and detached each other (1). The coat of arms was retouched (in two or three direction), the dots of the coat of arms were more trim (2). Between the inferior shield frameline and the ornament under the shield can be seen a white line not visible in the I and II type (the white line under the shield was strengthening). With the retouched coat of arms were printed all the stamps TYPE III, both with hand made and machine paper.

The shield was cleaned in two or three direction; these particular establish the plate of the III type stamps.

two directions                                                                            three directions

List of paper – type – sub-type – plate :

5 centes: hand made paper - TYPE I – unique plate

10 centes: hand made paper - TYPE Ia e Ib – unique plate

                machine made paper - TYPE III - plate A and B

15 centes: hand made paper - TYPE I, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc e IIIb/c - plate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

                hand made ribbed paper - TYPE I, IIa e IIb

                hand made paper “vergata” - TYPE IIIa, IIIb, IIIc e IIIb/c

                machine made paper - TYPE IIIa, IIIb e IIIc – plate A e B

30 centes: hand made paper - TYPE I e III – plate 1, 2, 3

                hand made ribbed paper - TYPE I

                machine made paper - TYPE III - plate A and B

45 centes: hand made paper - TYPE I, II e III - plate 1, 2, 3, 4

                hand made ribbed paper - TYPE I

                machine made paper - TYPE III - plate A and B

PRINT DEFECTS

The print defects could be classified in occasional and permanent.

The occasional defects are principally caused of outside body put between the sheet and the cliché (white or color stain, print reinforce, .....); they disappear when the cause was taken away.

The permanent defects is when a cliché was permanent altered (could be during the cleaning of the typographic composition after a print cycle, or because of the pressure during the print.