The Bank Note Issues

Part II
by Michael Mills

Papers

It is interesting to note that the companies involved used their own preferred paper stocks, and Bank Notes come on several different papers. The biggest difference is between the hard and soft papers. Soft papers are characteristic of and usually identify issues from the American Banknote Company, which used a softer, thicker paper with a yellowish color cast. The actual difference between hard and soft is best learned through individual experience with the stamps. Some issues are also ribbed either horizontally or verically at ninety degree angles and forty to the inch, but if you have a Continental, those impressions are ribs coming from the print process.

Secret Marks

A very helpful device to identify printers are the so called secret marks, engraved on some dies. The issues themselves didn't change design so Continental incised the marks to separate their work from National's previous printings. These marks appear on the second dies used to impress the transfer rolls on the one- three- six- seven- ten- and twelve-cent issues. None on the twenty-four-, thirty-, or ninety-cents have a secret mark, and the fifteen-cent secret mark is controversial. It hasn't been determined if it is a true intentional mark or some random stray printing blemish.

Grills

To thwart the reuse of canceled issues, grills were impressed into the vignette of the stamps. They appear as rectangles of raised impressions measured by length by width and designated by a letter. They are a great way to separate issues by printer, though most issues throughout the production history of the series are without grills.

National used "H" grills. They measure about 10x12mm, and are faint with just a few points pf the grill showing on the one- through ninety-cent values. They also used an "I" grill on the lower values.

Colors

Color is another area of Bank Notes that demands the first-hand knowledge of experience with many dupes to be accurate. Each color comes in many shades, clarity of impression, richness, etc., and determination is a matter of comparison and individual experience.

The One-Cent Franklin Bank Notes

The first Franklin Bank Notes are National's 1870 issues. There are two of them, one grilled and the other plain, perfed twelve. It's not know for certain, but the speculation is that a small portion of the stamps were grilled throughout the stamp's production life, rather than the grill being confined to a particular group of production runs. On the other hand, the issue was pressed with six different plate numbers and the relationship of plates to grills hasn't been documented fully.

The National Bank Note Company's Franklins were grilled with the embosser misaligned so instead of one rectangle centered on one vignette desired, there are split grills, a grill in four parts, and an end roller grill.