The Large Queen Issue -1868-1897

In presenting this issue I have opted to present separate tables as follows:

• Values that were replaced by the Small Queen Issue and were exclusively used only up to the time that the Small Queen issue first appears.
• The 1/2c value, which is in use all the way up to 1882, when the 1/2c Small Queen replaces it.
• The 15c value, which is used throughout the life of both issues.
• The 5c value which was issued and replaced in 1875-1876.

The reason for the separate treatment is that it affects the study of the paper types and the perfs. The papers known as the Duckworth types technically only covers types that pre-date the Small Queen issue. After that issue appears, the papers are known as "Small Queen" paper. So, in the first table, all the papers will be Duckworth types only. The 1/2c and 15c values will include both Duckworth and Small Queen paper types, while the 5c will be on Small Queen paper types only. 

Table 1: The 1c, 2c, 3c, 6c and 12.5c Values

Value & Colour	Unitrade #	Paper Types	Perfs	Plate Flaws/Re-Entries Seen	Shades
1c Brown Red	22 22	FO-Z FO-M	12.1 x 11.9 12 x 11.9	Tiny guide dot in lower margin under third scallop of lower left ornament As above	Brown Red As Above
1c Brown Red	22ii	FO-Y	12.1 x 11.9		Brown Red
1c Yellow Orange	23	FO-Z FO-O	12 12 x 11.9	Tiny guide dot in lower margin under third scallop of lower left ornament	Yellow Orange
2c Green	24b 24iv	FO-U FO-W FO-N	12 x 11.9 12 x 11.9, 12 12.1 x 12	Guide dot at LL	Grass Green Deep Green, Dark Green Deep Green
3c Red	25	FO-N FO-O FO-O FO-O	11.9  11.9, 11.9 x 12, 12 x 11.9 12, 11.9 x 12, 11.8 x 12 11.9 x 12	Guide dot under LL scroll	Deep Copper Red Dull Copper Red (Venetian Red - May 1869), Indian Red (December 1869) Pale Copper Red
3c Orange Red	25i	FO-AA FO-M	11.95 x 12, 12 11.9 x 12, 12 x 11.9, 12.1 x 12		Orange-Red (May 1869)
3c Rose Red	25ii	FO-T FO-O	12.1 x 12.2, 11.8 x 12.1, 12, 12 x 12.1		Deep Rose Red, Rose Red (March 1869)
3c Orange Red	25b	FO-W	11.9 x 12.1	Guide dot under LL scroll	Orange Red
3c Red	25viii	FO-Y	11.9 x 12, 12	Guide dot under LL scroll	Pale Indian Red, Brownish Rose red
6c Brown	27c	FO-CC	12.1 x 12	Guide dot under LL scroll (plate 1)	Dark Brown
6c Yellow Brown	27a	FO-D FO-Z	12.1 x 12 11.9 x 12 11.9 x 12	Guide dot under LL scroll (plate 1) and dot in "D" of "Canada"	Yellow Brown (November 1871)
6c Black Brown	27f	FO-DD	12 x 12.1	Guide dot under LL scroll (plate 1)	Very Dark Brown
12.5c Blue	27b	FO-EE FO-U	12.1 x 11.9 12 x 12.1		Blue
12.5c Blue	27v	FO-N	11.9 x 12.2	Guide dot under LL scroll	Blue

 

Table 2: The 1/2c Black

Printings	Unitrade #	Paper Types	Perfs	Plate Flaws/Re-Entries Seen	Shades
Pre-SQ Printings
First Ottawa SQ Printings Prior to 1872
Early Montreal SQ Printings Prior to 1874
Mid-Montreal SQ Printings 1874-1880	21 21a	MM-B MM-I	12 x 12.25 11.75 x 12	Two guide dots in UL margin Guide dot at LL	Black Black
Late Montreal SQ Printings 1881-1882	21	MM-D	12.1		Black

 

Table 3: The 15c Grey Violet & Grey

Interestingly, Scott divides this stamp into two numbers: 29 and 30, even though it is really one stamp, with some of the early printings being 29's, any of the mid-printings being variants of 30b and then the later printings being the standard 29's and 30's. 

This is perhaps the most misunderstood and commonly mis-identified stamp of Canada, and I attribute this mostly to the way the Scott/Unitrade listings are set up. Gibbons does a much better job of portraying the reality that this stamp covers the full gamut of printings, as it was current over the entire life of both the Large Queen and Small Queen issue, as well as the remainder of the Victorian period, all the way up just past 1900. 

The common printings are the Second Ottawa printings, and these are typically variations of 29, 29i, 30 and 30i, though there are some scarcer printings along with scarcer Montreal printings that get lumped in with 29 and 30, due to the lack of separate listings in Unitrade. 

29b and 29e encompass a range of printings from 1868 until 1876 or so. Unitrade calls them red-lilac, and there are indeed some that are that shade, but many are pale purples, and are often mis-identified as 29i's. 

29a, 30a and 30d are mid-Montreal printings, and are just as often perf. 11.75 x 12, as well as 11.5 x 12. Gibbons recognizes this fact, though Unitrade does not clearly state this. 

30b, 30c, and 30iv (new listing) encompass a range of early, mid and late Montreal printings. 

30e is the Montreal Gazette printing, which is often called "Robin's Egg Blue" or "Studd's Cold Blue".

Printings	Unitrade #	Paper Types	Perfs	Plate Flaws/Re-Entries Seen	Shades
Pre SQ Printings	29b         29v	FO-M FO-FF FO-D FO-BB   FO-Y	12     12, 12 x 11.9   12.15 x 12	Position dot under LL scroll         Position dot above UR scroll	Red-Lilac (June 1868)   Deep Greyish Purple (1871), Red Lilac Purple   Greyish Purple
First Ottawa SQ Printings Prior to 1872
Early Montreal SQ Printings Prior to 1874
Mid-Montreal SQ Printings 1874-1880	29a 30a 30b	MM-X FO-O MM-B	11.5 x 12 11.75 x 12.1 12.2 x 12.1 12.1 x 12.2	Position dot under LL scroll	Greyish Purple Deep Grey Deep Blue Grey
Late Montreal SQ Printings 1881-1887	30b	LM-D	12.1 x 12.2		Blue grey
Montreal Gazette Printing	30e	MG-F	12.1		Robin's Egg Blue Studd's Cold Blue
Early Second Ottawa Printings - 1888-1892
Mid Second Ottawa Printings - 1893-1895	30i	SO-KK SO-JJ	12.2 x 12.1 12.1		Slate
Late Second Ottawa Printings -1896-1898	30 29     30b 30i	SO-JJ SO-KK SO-KK SO-KK SO-KK SO-KK SO-JJ	12.1 x 12, 12.2 x 12.1 12.2 x 12.1 12.1 12.1     12.1	Guide dot under LL Corner	Deep Grey, Bluish Grey Deep Grey (March 1897) Grey Violet Blue Grey Slate Grey (July 1896) Bluish Slate Grey (August 1896)

 

Table 4: The 5c Value

Printings	Unitrade	Paper Types	Perfs	Plate Flaws/Re-Entries Seen	Shades
Mid-Montreal SQ Printings 1875-1876	26iv 26i	MM-Y	11.8 x 12.1, 11.9 x 12.15 11.9 x 12.1	Guide dot under second scallop of LL ornament	Olive Green, Greyish Olive Deep Olive Green

 

Note: These tables are a work in-progress and the various cells will be filled in as I work on the stamps of this issue.