There are 170 stamps in a sheet of this stamp, arranged in 10 horizontal rows of 17. I am able to plate 168 of the 170 positions. This article also includes images of the Cuba 1864 Issue. I use the Guerra Aguiar naming convention: rows are roman numerals, and columns are numbers. The image shown here is for the VII-4 plate position (7th row, 4th column). This position has a break on the R and the L of RL, a break at the top of the L of PLATA, and a hollowed period following the F after PLATA, or the F(UERTE), since F in the lower legend stands for high silver content coinage. Once plated, the positions used to plate remain as those having the most distinctive plate flaws. I have a web page dedicated to the path I followed to plate this stamp, using 14 blocks. These blocks have a total of 348 mint stamps.

I group the key plate varieties in specific web pages (highlighted in yellow in the figure below) as follows:
1. There are two RL positions (VII-4, pictured here, and X-12). I also include two reference specimens for collectors to use (specimen 1, specimen 2).
2. There are several distinctive positions, such as III-12, which are easily told apart.
3. Many plate positions have one, two or three diminished, and even missing periods in the lower legend.
Below is the summarized diagram for this plating effort. Blue positions are free of major flaws, and perhaps in the "periods" section (3). Yellow positions are discussed in sections 1, 2, and 3. The two red positions are unknown to me.

Recommendations for further browsing (including the present one):

7: Plating the Cuba 1864 1 Real : I am able to plate 168 of the 170 positions. This article also includes images of the Cuba 1864 Issue, a web page dedicated to the path I followed to plate this stamp, the two RL positions, several distinctive positions,and plate positions with reduced periods in the lower legend.

77: Cuba 1864 Issue : I show the major values in mint blocks of four. Missing is the rare 1/2 real on salmon paper, for which I havo only a few used specimens. I include a second block of the 1 real, printed in bright blue. Here I show the major values in blocks of four, the color varieties of the 1/2 real on salmon, 1/2 real on white, 1 real, and 2 reales. The 1/4 real was printed in a small run and seems to have just one color: black. I also show specimens cancelled with the regular canceller and other cancellers. This issue was replaced in 1866 by a similar issue in a different currency.

In addition, I have several articles dedicated to the Cuba 1855-1863 first issue.