Three new stamps—One, Three and Twelve-cent denominations—were deemed necessary after postage rates were revised by Congress during the Fillmore administration. Effective July 1, 1851, the basic rates became 1c for newspapers and circulars (with a distance escalation until 1852), 1c for drop letters, 3c for domestic letters sent up to 3,000 miles, and 6c for letters sent over 3,000 miles. Prepayment by stamps or stamped envelopes was not compulsory until 1856, but the convenience of stamps and reduction in rates led to a rapid increase in stamp usage and popularity.

Under Postmaster General Nathan K. Hall, the contract to print the 1851 Issue was awarded to one of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch &Edson’s competitors, the Philadelphia firm of Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. (Casilear retired in October 1854; his name was included in plate imprints as late as 1857). The firm’s original six-year contract was extended to 1861, during which time stamps of only eight different denominations were issued. However, due to the volume and irregularity of production, as well as the introduction of perforations in 1857, the Scott Catalogue has 44 different major listings, based on color, perforation and design variation (excluding sub-listings and the 1875 Reprints).

The 1c 1851-61 stamp, with a bust of Franklin based on Caffieri’s sculpture, dominates this group with 18 major listings. No other 19th century United States stamp has so many type classifications. The explanation for the variation in 1c 1851-57 stamps is simple: the basic design was too large to fit on the printing plate. The design on the master die, with all of its elaborate ornamentation, was intended to be fully replicated in each of the 200 subjects. However, in transferring the design from the master die to the plate via the transfer roll, the craftsmen responsible for making plates discovered that ten rows of the full design could not fit into the designated area. To correct the problem the reliefs on the transfer roll were shortened and/or parts of the entries on the plate were burnished away to make space for the next subject.

The 1c plate-making process was further complicated by reentries and double transfers, wear over many thousands of impressions, the development of cracks and flaws in the metal, the reworking of the first plate used, and the need to accommodate perforations in 1857. Over ten years a total of 12 plates were made and one plate (Plate 1) was reentered and recut to improve its worn appearance. Plates 1 (Early) and 3 produced imperforate stamps exclusively. Plates 1 (Late) and 2 produced imperforate stamps for the most part, but sheets from these two plates were also perforated. Plate 4, used only in 1857, produced a small quantity of imperforate stamps and a large portion of the perforated stamps issued from July to December 1857. Plates 5 and 7 through 12 produced perforated stamps exclusively. Plate 6 was made but no stamps were printed from it.

The designated types of 1c stamps are based on the resulting printed design after the die-to-relief-to-plate transfer process and the alterations made to the plate entries (principally burnishing and recutting). Philatelists look for certain features: Is the design complete? Is it complete just at top or bottom? Are the outer lines intact or broken? Were the outer lines recut? The rarity and value of 1c 1851-61 stamps are determined by the types and variations produced by 2,400 different subjects on 12 plates (including Plate 1 Late) over a decade. Because specific types, or Scott numbers, are produced by a certain number of positions on one or more plates, the quantity produced of any particular Scott number relates directly to the quantity printed from the corresponding plate or plates.

For example, Scott number 5 is the only Type I imperforate, which shows the design complete at top and bottom. Of the five plates used to print imperforate 1c stamps, just one out of 1,000 positions, the 7th stamp in the right pane of Plate 1 Early (7R1E), was entered with the design complete at top and bottom (Type I) and remained unburnished. The number of Type I (7R1E) imperforate stamps printed relative to all others is a tiny fraction when the brief production period for Plate 1 Early is factored into the equation. Ashbrook estimated that fewer than 36,000 Type I imperforate stamps were ever printed. Today, there are 90 copies known, as listed in the Wagshal Census.

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