September 1999
Gerald Moss, our speaker for September, gave an interesting and unusual talk on "Plate Material for the First and Second Issue Stamps". As opposed to a discussion on the aspects of "plating" stamps, Gerald's talk focused on the actual material used to prepare the printing plates. Much of the discussion concerned the manufacturing process of the steel used to make the steel dies and plates, which were used in the printing of early stamps. He also discussed stamps that showed plate cracks and how these came about. Some of the more unusual items he passed around our group included examples of steel, which showed how different processes affected the smoothness of the steel surface.
