U.S. Proofs come in several types. The proofs that are created before the stamps are put on a plate and which are used to determine the acceptability of the die are called Die Proofs. These come in several types, the most common being large die proofs. Often these exist quantities of less than a hundred and are very costly. Before 1894, virtually all US stamps also were printed in plate proofs. These are proofs that were made of the entire plate of 50 or 100 stamps and were printed on light, thin India paper or on thicker card.
Counterintuitively, plate proofs of US stamps before 1894 sell, in almost all cases, for considerably less than the mint stamps that they were derived from. This is because in the early period all US stamps were printed by private printing companies, mostly by the company that came to be known as the American Bank Note Company. These printers produced unofficial proofs for their archives, and therefore these plate proofs have a more or less quasi-official status. (After 1894, when the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began to print US postage stamps, plate proofs were no longer made for most stamps and are very scarce). The plate proofs of this early period came into collectors’ hands through the printing company themselves and not through the US Post Office.
Furthermore, plate proofs are inexpensive in part because they are hard to find. Probably fifty or a hundred of each pre-1894 US stamp is offered for each offering of plate proofs. This makes it hard for collectors to assemble a decent collection of these proofs, and thus they are not sought out, and the reinforcing cycle of unpopularity/lower price breeding unpopularity and lower price continues.
Take a look at some representative plate proofs and the mint stamps from this early period. Plate proofs are nearly always in perfect condition, and they are very affordable. If you want perfect stamps in the Classic period and you are not Midas, you should consider looking at plate proofs as a prudent collecting choice.
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