Canada #597a (SG#705b) 25c Polar Bears 1972-1978 Caricature Issue, Type 2, Perf. 13.3, GT-2 OP-2 Tagging DF/LF Paper Type 1 VF-80 NH

A well centered and very fine mint NH single of the 25c multicoloured polar bears definitive from the 1972-1977 Caricature and Landscapes Issue, with general Ottawa 4 mm OP-2 tagging. Comb perf. 13.3. Horizontal wove paper with smooth chalk surfacing. Smooth creamy PVA gum with a satin sheen. Under ultraviolet light, the paper gives the following readings:

Unitrade lists this stamp as being on DF/LF paper, but this is a gross over-simplification, as the above description shows. There are at least two different varieties of the Ottawa tagged stamp with 4 mm tagging on smooth DF/LF paper, of which this is the scarcer of the two. It is the only printing that I know of in which the paper contains true hibrite fibres. Unitrade lists a VF-75 NH single of the more common paper at $0.90. However, this variety should be worth $3 on account of its scarcity. The stamp offered here grades VF-80 NH as follows: Margins/centering: 50/70 Paper freshness: 5/5 Colour: 5/5 Impression: 5/5 Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5 Perforations: 10/10 Note any vertical or horizontal line shown in the scan is the edge of the acetate strip that the stamp was resting inside on the stockcard. Note: the above scan is a stock photo as are all my scans for material after 1952.The item (s) you will receive has (have) been carefully checked to adhere to the above grading standards, so while it (they) may not be exactly the same, it (they) will be of the same quality. Also, I do not provide back scans of NH stamps or blocks after 1952 unless they are required to illustrate some attribute of the paper or gum.