The Koban Study Group 小判: January 2022

2022-01-30

TORRES 30sen fake

large die
bent frame
romaji small
kanji irregular
flower

2022-01-24

2022-01-12

TORRES 2Osen fake

frame skewed redrawn
oval frame skewed
oval kanji
sun offset L

TORRES-SG 15sen fake

romaji distorted
plate anomoly
frame trapezoid
H/W not = IJPO
Plate 2pos + oval redrawn
maker TORRES

2022-01-11

IJPO 5rin colour trial

LITHO
damage TL
L frame damage
damage L oval
R beard BL
M damaged

I acquired item in forgery lot ... UNIQUE

reading the literature on the early koban proofs, raises some confusion ... woodward believed the proofs were lithographed, and spaulding points to die size being 0.5mm larger than final typo examples. likely, these were prepared before the die hardening process...

plate proofs printed on wet parchment paper are very smooth lined ... the proof sheets : 2 steel and 1 parchment. this sandwich was then placed between 2 rollers - or, perhaps a flat plate impression was made ... result, a fine impression, closest to artist drawing.

the typographic press plates, differ ... dry paper method...

hardening of the die, transfer to plate matrix , then rolling to fit a rotary press. result, the increased temperatures and pressures cause both shrinkage and metal striations ( as igneous rock) ...

modern typography, can add a chroming process to rotary-typo-plate to minimize faults.

5rin koban X ... imperfs

these items were reviewed in JP some years ago, and since forgotten ... part of 1963 kelleher sale in the USA. being imperfs, they were described as proofs ... and appeared in seven colour trials ... a proper term is essay clearly, both are 16 petal kiku as the known spiro sheets ... characteristics reveal they are closer to redrawn plate or retouched matrix ... MXC2 chiossone did send graphics to the Boston Expo, year ? can anyone provide more information on this series ... Boston and Genoa were "twin cities" ...