ACCEPTANCE DIE PROOFS or PRESENTATION DIE PROOFS (EPREUVES D'ATELIER) (figg. F1, F2)

These Proofs are erroneously called Acceptance Die Proofs or Presentation Die Proofs. They have been printed for France and other territories, but they are not known for Andorra.
They sometimes are used for the choice of the issued stamp color and, for this reason, they may be printed in different colors for each issue.

Acceptance Die Proofs are very similar to Artist's Die Proofs (Engraver's Die Proofs).
They can be identified by the impression of the steel die measuring 80 x 70 mm, the same of the Engraver's Die Proofs impression.

It is to be remembered that all the Proofs obtained by the primitive die show the impression of the steel die that measures 80 x 70 mm (in fact, these are the exact size of the steel die that it is submitted to strong pressure against the support cardboard through the action of the hand printing press).

In addition to the presence of the impression of the steel die, Acceptance Die Proofs can be identified by the presence of the Printing Works control perforation (control punch: the three hole punching - diamond, crescent, diamond - is standard on Color Proofs, Acceptance Die Proofs and Deluxe Proofs, but only those made until 1966).

In this group of Proofs there are also the Engraver's Die Proofs (Artist's Die Proofs), the Stage Die Proofs (Progress Die Proofs) and the Sepia Printer's Die Proofs (Sepia Inspection Die Proofs).

The most important difference between these various Proofs is that while the Stage Die Proofs, the Sepia Printer's Die Proofs and the Engraver's Die Proofs are obtained from the unhardened primitive die (and then easily perishable beyond a production of 5 units), the Acceptance Die Proofs are obtained from the hardened primitive die (thus being able to print a higher number of Proofs, up to 30 units between the different colors) (fig. F3).

In fact, the easy deterioration of the unhardened die allows only one color production of the Proofs ( the Stage Die Proofs are printed in black or in sepia only, while the Sepia Printer's Die Proofs are tipically in sepia color).

Acceptance Die Proofs are generally not printed in black and are often hand-numbered.

The production of the Acceptance Die Proofs stopped in 1964. Until 1963, there was a parallel production of Proofs obtained from the primitive die by the engraver (Engraver's Die Proofs) or directly by the Government Stamp Printery (Atelier de Fabrication des Timbres-Poste) (Acceptance Die Proofs).

Since 1964 (January 1st), this production of Proofs from the primitive die has been unified and integrally operated by the Government Stamp Printery.

fig. F1

fig. F2

© Giorgio Leccese