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Dear all,
Another query, but not quite so abstruse as the last one... I hope. I have an extremely good reason for asking it, and will explain all at some point. I've printed out the membership form as well, so should be joining you more solidly soon!
So, the query: In the 1851 Baden 4a (black on 'old rose') the paper has substantial numbers of red fibers (see attached) that are prominent under a good microscope (present in all eight of my examples). Some of the 4a are on slightly thicker paper than the earliest (least worn) impressions, and these appear to show fewer of the fibres; but they're still common.
These fibres are not present in any of my 4b (one rogue fibre seen in a couple of specimens, but that's all), nor in any of the other 1851-1853 issues that I have (and I've got multiple examples of all of them). They may just be better at absorbing the dye in the pulp, but there are no, for example, green fibres in 3a or 3b. I've also compared various forged papers, and coloured fibres (but a mix of blue and red) are present in most of them.
Can anyone please confirm this is a genuine diagnostic feature of 4a, or give counter-examples? I find that around 40-70x magnification and very good light is needed, but with a decent microscope the fibres are very clear.
Many thanks for any help in tidying this up - and as I say, there is a very good reason for asking!
Joe
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