Canada #565a, 565aii 8c Multicoloured Sun Dance & Thunderbird, 1972 Plains Indians Issue, 5 VFNH Pairs DF2/DF1, DF2/NF, DF2/DF2, DF2/DF2-fl, DF2/LF3-fl Vertical Ribbed Papers

5 VFNH pairs of the 8c multicoloured Sun Dance & Thunderbird from the 1972 Plains Indians Issue DF2/DF1, DF2/NF, DF2/DF2, DF2/DF2-fl, DF2/LF3-fl vertical ribbed papers. 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.

Unitrade values this at $14.4. The pairs offered here grade 75-84 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 45/70, 50/70, 54/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10