Canada #599aiv (SG#709a) $1 Vancouver 1972-1978 Caricature Issue Perf.13.3, Agate Rocks MF Paper Type 2 UR VF-80 NH

A well centered and very fine mint NH plate 2 upper right corner block of the $1 multicoloured Vancouver Skyline definitive from the 1972-1977 Caricature and Landscapes Issue, perf. 13.3, with mottled general Ottawa 4 mm OP-2 tagging. Comb perf. with a single extension hole in the upper selvage. Tag bars that glow bright yellow under UV light, and show a mottled effect. Horizontal wove paper with smooth chalk surfacing. The rocks in the foreground are an agate and dull green colour, and are out of focus. Smooth creamy PVA gum with a satin sheen. Under ultraviolet light, the paper gives the following readings:

Unitrade lists this stamp as being on MF paper, but this is a gross over-simplification, as the above description shows. There are at least four different varieties of the MF paper in this perforation. The comparison scan shows the two different types of rocks, with the agate, blurry rocks on the left, and the dark brown, clear rocks on the right. This is shown for comparison purposes only and is not included with the lot. Unitrade lists a VF-75 NH field stock block at $35. Plate blocks are not listed, although they do clearly exist. The block 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.