schools of thought and the 1E3s again

The 1E3 papers have proven an almost insurmountable obstacle in my study, although thanks to Rein’s work, I have been able to develop a basic understanding of these papers. There are two major schools of thought I have seen develop on how much time and energy to spend on studying the papers of this series. One school uses the basic watermarks and some additional distinguishing features and groups several types of paper into a type. This school has prevailed to date and is represented well by collectors who collect other stamps. Then there is the ‘Rein, Bardi, and Rubiera’ school. This second school demands an exact definition of all of the papers. The rigor required by the second school causes the vast majority of collectors of this series to drop out, and this is a shame. I think over time the second school will become prevalent, but to do so, we must describe well all of the papers of this series. By well I mean that a beginner should be able to use our exposition and a small amount of time and energy and be able to see the differences that are obvious to Rein, to Bardi, and to me.