Lot 43 Canada #564var 8c Multicoloured Thunderbird, 1972 Plains Indians Issue, A VFNH LL Field Stock Single Very Rare Uncoated MF Vertically Ribbed Paper, Recent New Discovery, Last Pair Sold Months Ago!

A VFNH ll field stock single of the 8c multicoloured Thunderbird from the 1972 Plains Indians Issue very rare uncoated MF vertically ribbed paper, recent new discovery, last pair sold months ago!. This issue was printed by BABN using photogravure and engraving on paper that was supposed to be coated with chalk. Initial printings had the chalk coating vertically ribbed, most likely to improve the absorption of cancellation ink. Later printings were on paper that had a smooth chalky coating. These are FAR scarcer than the vertically ribbed stamps, often by a factor of more than 100:1. One printing of this issue, and the 1973 Algonkian issue was made on a MF uncoated paper (ribbed on this issue only), and is extremely rare on this issue, with only 2.5 pairs being found so far. Some prominent colour shifts are found, which show that the photogravure colours appear to have been printed separately, with the engraving being printed afterwards. While there are not a lot of varieties on these stamps, there are a few that can be collected. Unitrade's listings for fluorescence on these are woefully inadequate in 2 respects. Firstly, the readings on the front and back are usually different, and not just one overall fluorescence level, and many levels exist other than what is listed. On the front the common fluorescence level is DF2, which is close to LF, and either DF1 or DF1 with very sparse LF flecks on the back. In addition LF3 and LF3-flecked can be found on the back as well as NF. For the vertical ribbed papers anything that is NF as opposed to DF is scarcer, as is anything that is higher than DF2. This paper is nearly identical to what Unitrade calls the "transparent HB" paper that the Algonians issue is found on, except for the fact that it is ribbed. I discovered this variety byaccident last year, and at that time, I offered one pair in the auction. This and lot 400 most likely come from the same multiple, as I found these in sorting through my very large stock of blocks. This pair is damaged at lower right, so we have estimated this as one sound single, being 564.

Unitrade does not list this variety, but we estimate the value at $75. The stamp offered here grades 75 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 45/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10