Canada #599var $1 Multicoloured Vancouver, 1972-1979 Landscape Definitive Issue, A VFNH Single Perf. 12.5 x 12, DF2/DF Paper, Rightward Shift Of Slate Lilac

A VFNH single of the $1 multicoloured Vancouver from the 1972-1979 Landscape Definitive Issue perf. 12.5 x 12, DF2/DF paper, rightward shift of slate lilac. This shift at first looks like a leftward shift of the green, but when you look at the design, you will see that the shadows on the water appear doubled, with the slate lilac and red lilac appearing separately, instread of together, as would usually be the case. The dots on the mountain appear in the left margin, when they would normally be only on the mountain. Finally the cross hatched shading at right appears in the margin, when it normally wouldn't. So, it is clear that the mountain has shifted to the right, and this is why the green appears to be shifted to the left. This is not a common shift: most $1 stamps that I see have the colours in more or less perfect registration.

Unitrade does not list colour shifts, but our estimate of the value is $10. 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

The landscape definitives of 1972-1979 are a particularly complex area, with many of the compexities not being listed in Unitrade. Unitrade's description of paper fluorescence is very oversimplified. We have described all the differences we see on these stamps, and in ascribing fluorescence levels we cross -referenced the stamps back to stamps of the Caricature issue that we had sorted into the various fluorescence levels earlier. As a result of this, some of my earlier descriptons have changed slightly, as I have made the determination of fluorescence more accurate. Another aspect that isn't covered in Unitrade, but which clearly differs is the appearance of the photogravure printed background on the 10c, 15c and 50c values. I have described them as "screened background", "semi-solid background", "nearly solid background" and solid background. Screened background, means that all the individual screening dots that make up the coloured area can all be clearly seen as individual dots. Semi-sold background refers to one where some dots are visible, but they are clearly merging into ine another. Nearly sold background means very few, individual dots are visible. Finally on stamps with solid background, the individual screening dots that make up the printing are not individually visible as dots.