Over the last year, I have further narrowed my billhead collecting to only buying items that carry a plate mark. Early billheads were printed from hand engraved copper plates. The plate would leave an impression along the outer edges of the billhead. You can see this outline fairly well in the maltser billhead below. 
Rickard's calls this effect the "dish effect." Commonly, traders used their billhead plates for trade cards and for entries in local trade directories.
David McNealy Stauffer dates the first copper plate engraving in America in 1690 on Massachusetts paper money. In 1760, Philadelphia engravers appear on the scene, with Henry Dawkins being the first. Dawkins engraved maps, book plates and billheads. Dawkins was an Englishman who supposedly died in prison having been caught counterfeiting money during the Revolution. Paul Revere was another famous copper plate engraver. I have two American copper plate billheads in my collection. They are much harder to come by then UK examples.
The engraver on the Youle billhead is Smith. The copper plate mark on the Youle billhead faint and most noticeable along the right hand side.
The Brown billhead again has a faint plate mark. There is no engraver's mark either. Here are one more example of copper plate engraved American billhead.
Much more common are UK examples. Here are many from my collection below, some you have already seen before.
Rickard's calls this effect the "dish effect." Commonly, traders used their billhead plates for trade cards and for entries in local trade directories.
David McNealy Stauffer dates the first copper plate engraving in America in 1690 on Massachusetts paper money. In 1760, Philadelphia engravers appear on the scene, with Henry Dawkins being the first. Dawkins engraved maps, book plates and billheads. Dawkins was an Englishman who supposedly died in prison having been caught counterfeiting money during the Revolution. Paul Revere was another famous copper plate engraver. I have two American copper plate billheads in my collection. They are much harder to come by then UK examples.
The engraver on the Youle billhead is Smith. The copper plate mark on the Youle billhead faint and most noticeable along the right hand side.
The Brown billhead again has a faint plate mark. There is no engraver's mark either. Here are one more example of copper plate engraved American billhead.
Much more common are UK examples. Here are many from my collection below, some you have already seen before.
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