The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word NUMERAL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
N
U
M
E
R
A
L
More clues leading to the result NUMERAL
- Figure meal run out
- Figure Greek character right to interrupt repast
- Figure manure should be spread and left
- . Possibly 3 million neural folds
- One turning up on time wearing model’s clothes revealing figure
- Figure used to express a number and letter by master with time for learner
- Maureen left for Spain after bust-up, as I was in Rome
- Figure left behind when mines were union-dominated?
- Male with urn sculpted for 1 or 2?
- I may be seen as the first one that’s positive
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "I may be seen as the first one that’s positive" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case i may be seen as the first one that’s positive = numeral.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NUMERAL mean?
NUMERAL noun- A symbol that is not a word and represents a number, such as the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3 and the Roman numerals I, V, X, L.
- A word representing a number.
- A card whose rank is a number (usually including the ace as 1).
- Of or relating to numbers; numerical.