Canada #599 (SG#709) $1 Vancouver 1972-1978 Caricature Issue Perf. 12.5 x 12 DF Paper Type 4 F-70 NH

A fine mint NH single of the $1 multicoloured Vancouver Skyline definitive from the 1972-1977 Caricature and Landscapes Issue, perf. 12.5 x 12, with strong general Ottawa 4 mm OP-2 tagging. Comb perf. with a single extension hole in the upper selvage. Strong tagging bars that glow deep, bright yellow under UV and show clear screening dots. Vertical 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 paper, but this is a gross over-simplification, as the above description shows. There are at least four different varieties of the DF paper in this perforation. Unitrade's pricing is also nonsensical in the sense that they value all varieties of 599 and 599a equally except for the NF, MF and HB papers. Far and away the most common paper are the ten varieties of the LF paper. But stamps of this perforation on the dull paper are much scarcer than the LF, by a factor of at least 10:1. Unitrade lists a F-65 NH single at $1.75. The stamp offered here grades F-70 NH as follows: Margins/centering: 40/70 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.