ESSAYS & PROOFS - A brief overview

[krash]

A brief overview of US postal Proofs & Essays.

I want you know that I am no expert in this field but I am a collector of proofs. I was asked to put together a post that describes and outlines what proofs are so here we are.I'm just going to start typing and see what falls out of my head so it might get bumpy for a stretch! Buckle up and off we go. -

Proofs exist in a lot of different forms. Such as the large die proofs, the small die proofs, Proofs on India paper or "bible-paper", proofs on card, trial color proofs and a few more that currently escape my swiss-cheese memory at the moment! Before all those there must be essays. The essays are nothing more than a proof of a submitted design. If the postal system decides that it needs a new denomination it will take submissions from the different stamp and currency designers such as The Bureau of printing and engraving, Philadelphia banknote co, Continental banknote co., American banknote co...the list goes on...and on! But the companies all have the same motive which is to land the contract with the then US Govt. They will get their best designers to do sketches and watercolors of proposed designs and put the best ones together to make up a newly designed postage stamp!

There is no one person that does any one full design. There are an army of different people designated to different parts of the stamp that are their specialty like the lettering, the vignette, the frame and so on. After they compile and scrutinize all their best designs each company will submit them for approval. When a few designs are ,chosen they they then must meticulously engrave the chosen design into one, or a few (as the case may be) hardened steel plates. Again, there will be only One for each the viginette, frame, and lettering until one combination is ultimately chosen. They will make dies and print them (These rae the large die proofs) and scrutinize every last line until they are satisfied. when all the companies have done this they will send their designs to the Government for approval. Only one will prevail.

After the design is chosen from the large die proofs, then the real work begins! The final master dies can be made up and the printing of the color trial proofs begin! They start a process of "rocking in" the design in reverse into a steel plate of which will ultimately be hardened and if using the flat-plate intaglio method, then it will usually be into 4 panes of 100 each. Then loaded onto the press' and get ready to print up some proofs; the small die proofs to be exact. These are simply the approved design printed in a lot of different colors to see what works the best and/or to conform to any laws or reguilations (Universal Postal union colors). They will then print a few on a very high quality rice paper usually reserved for the printing of bibles and dictionaries (it's thin and isn't so bulky) mainly because it takes up the design very intricately and they can see it in it's entirety to be absolutely positive it's perfect. They will print a few more on card to send to all the different entities that need to approve it. It will be signed and then put to final print! we end up with these because philatelists and postal employees would liberate these from the panes with scissors and given away as gifts or sold in the stamp trade to nice folks like me...just sayin'

Now I didn't cover every different type of proof that exists obviously, but I wanted to keep this post both cohesive and to hopefully provide a small window into another collecting interest that is quite often overlooked or ignored by collectors and to me, that's a tragedy! Proofs are a wonderful way to get involved into both history and the stamp making and printing processes. It's fascinating if nothing else! 

"OK, shut up Jay and lets see some pictures of this stuff man!" - I couldn't agree more! However I'll only add that both corrections and information are always encouraged and in fact welcomed!

Here are a few examples-

Essays:

[krash]

large die proofs:

[krash]

Color trial proofs:

[krash]

Small die proofs:

[krash]

Here are a few external links that hopefully can clear anything up that I couldn't -

www.stamp-collecting-world.com/usclassicstamps_1861E.html

[krash]

Here is a wonderful article in Linn's stamps news:

www.linns.com/reference/essays/basic_essays.aspx

Essays and Proofs

Essays are designs for stamp vignettes, stamp borders, or both combined, that were never approved and used in the final printing of a stamp. Even though a design is finally adopted with only slight modifications, it is still an "essay". To attain the status of a proof, a proposed design, or essay, must be exactly like the issued stamp for which it was submitted.

All U.S. stamps were made by private bank note companies from 1847 to 1894. Essays and printing bids were submitted by those firms. As early as 1851, the U.S. Post Office Department established a policy of advertising for stamp proposals to be accompanied by essays, or examples of the stamps to be furnished. After the bids were opened, an Expert Committee was asked to rule on the designs, colors and paper.

Today, the procedure is usually for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to pass on a U.S. stamp subject, choose an artist or artists to design a stamp for the printing medium selected, then take the final artwork to the postmaster general for his approval.

Not always is the first assigned artist able to render a satisfactory design. A case in point would be the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition stamp. On this occasion, the first artist submitted designs that were not acceptable. The Postal Service and CSAC turned to designer Chuck Ripper, who came up with the final stamp art on his first attempt.

Essays on older U.S. issues were made in small quantities; usually the outside printing firm kept several copies. Today, design essays are kept by the U.S. Postal Service; few, if any, ever reach the stamp trade in any format.

Early essays could take the form of vignette models mounted on a card. Around the design, the artist might draw in pencil cross-hatching, or even the suggested frame and lettering. Combinations of essays for the vignette and the frame were sometimes built into full models in the exact size of the final stamp.

Occasionally, essays are now prepared as artists' sketches. In a number of early cases, however, finished plate essays fully gummed, perforated, and sometimes grilled would be submitted. All such material, whether just an art sketch or final plate proof, remains an essay until the production and release of a stamp exactly like it. Then it becomes a proof.

It should be noted that reprints of stamps previously issued and sold by the Postal Service are not classified as proofs, even though such reprints may have been sold for collectors' benefit only.

When an essay was fully approved, one engraver may have done the vignette only and had proofs of his work pulled at any point. Another engraver, completing the frame and lettering, may also have had progress proofs of his work made. Two groups of proofs of one stamp were ultimately created: one for the vignette and one for the frame.

When Ripper's art for the Louisiana Expo issue was accepted, it became an "artist's proof." As engravers have copies of their work printed, these are called "progressive proofs", or "engraver's proofs." Proofs taken from a die are "die proofs"; those pulled from a plate before printing are "plate proofs." Various colors often are used in making proofs; these are "trial color proofs," but genuine design proofs nonetheless. When a proof is printed in the exact color of the stamp, it is termed a "color proof".

Although proofs are known to exist in many varied styles, those listed below are the most common:

Large die proofs were printed on paper about the size of the engraver's die block, 40 millimeters by 50mm, or larger. Margins often show the imprint, letters and numbers of the original contract printers. In the United States these large die proofs usually were printed on India paper and mounted on cards. Those with the engraver's name or an official approval designation are highly valued.

Small die proofs have extremely narrow margins, seldom larger than 3mm to 5mm in width. Approximately 300 types were printed for 85 album sets prepared by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1904. These are found on a fibrous, white wove paper. Another special printing of 413 different small die proofs was made for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. These were produced on a soft, yellowish wove paper, and are extremely scarce.

Plate proofs are found on both India paper and card stock. They were made from finished plates and are excellent impressions, showing a sharpness and color far superior to the stamps themselves.

Hybrid proofs are really plate proofs of all issues prior to 1894. They have been cut to shape and pressed onto large cards to resemble the large die proofs.

Card proofs are printed on high-quality, clear white card stock, which can vary in thickness.

India paper proofs are on a thin, soft, opaque paper, which wrinkles when wet. This paper also varies in thickness and shows particles of bamboo. Strangely, India paper was developed in China in the 18th century, and was once referred to as "China paper".

The U.S. Essay-Proof Society, which has since disbanded, defined a proof as "any impression, the design of which was approved for use on an issued stamp of an established government or private post, from any die, plate, stone or type, printed for the purpose of (1) examination or reference, (2) for determination of satisfactory quality of design, color, ink, or imprinted surface, or (3) for determination of the effect of cancellation or method of separation".

The Scott Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps lists hundreds of varieties of proofs and trial color proofs from the postmasters' provisionals of New York (1845) and Providence (1846) to the 6¢ 50th Anniversary of Powered Flight airmail of May 1953. The Scott roster includes only those proofs outside of government ownership.

Up until a half century ago or more, stamp proofs were available to the stamp trade. In early days, congressmen could secure them for their constituents upon request. Thousands were distributed in this manner, creating a collecting irony of sorts: The proofs of modern U.S. stamps usually are not available, while older proofs are frequently offered for sale.

Today, proofs are retained only by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Postal Service. Engravers were allowed to keep a proof for themselves long after they became unavailable for congressional requests, but those were the only copies outside of government ownership. Occasionally, a retired engraver's estate may include a proof for outside sale, but that is extremely infrequent. The last 1953 airmail proof may have come from that source.

For all practical purposes, modern U.S. proofs are now akin to a dead country that no longer issues stamps. They are no longer obtainable by anyone.

[Admin Bear]

great job man!! thank you for teaching us so much...

[MikeC99]

Krash, I knew precious little about essays and proofs but thanks to your article, I have advanced my knowledge on this subject.
Mike

[krash]

I should mention this if your planning on purchasing any proofs in the future - The P3 & P4 suffixes. The "P" of course stands for Proof and the numbers designate one of two paper types. The "3" is printed on India paper and the "4" is printed on card. These will always follow the Scott number of the design. For example; Below is a Scott #164P4 from my personal collection. I'll post a few I have out at the moment because there is a P3 in amongst them.

[krash]

These are also a few from my personal collection.

Scott #63P4, #68P4, #71P4, #73P4 & #149P3

[krash]

OK one more for this morning. This is a Scott #74P4 Either this or the other is, in my opinion a #71TCP4 (Trial Color Proof) one is the familiar orange and the other is yellow. Your guess is as good as mine because tolerances then weren't as tight plus the Civil war was erupting, so I imagine the proper inks were in short supply?

[cbavier]

I am going to take more time to READ(STUDY) your Lesson but two questions pop up and I want to ask before I forget them.
1- Where can anyone purchase these proofs? and or Essays?
2- Hang on I done forgot the second one already.......Hm ......Hm .....Oh! Oh! Oh! ....
Where does the Computer for the newer computer generated stamps come into play? smiley-face-whistle-2


sign0173

[krash]

Well I'm actually drawing up 2 auctions for some of that stuff above but unsure where to post them yet? Here, there or eBay?

Now days the "proofs" if you want to call them that are basically crappy overpriced B&W images and super easily faked. There a million on eBay right now that I wouldn't touch for a moment simply because I don't believe any really exist outside a computer somewhere under high security?

Anyhow I'm currently up in the air on where to sell these? Would there be any actual interest if I did post them here? Most of the other sites have a million views and very little bids or no action at all and I can't give these away so that makes it hard.

[kacyds]

Just a suggestion krash, where ever you offer them, just have a minimum starting price, so that you wont be disappointed later.

[krash]

yeah I do. I'm selling them off super cheap because I need to get some loot quick so I figure if I put some stupid crazy low number on them they will sell. You think there is any interest in proofs?