Canada #620i (SG#759a) 8c Multicoloured Queen Elizabeth II 1973 Royal Visit Issue Scarce "Hibrite" Paper Type 1 UR Block VF-80 NH

A well centered and very fine mint NH blank upper right block of 4 of the 8c multicoloured Queen Elizabeth stamp from the 1973 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Issue, also known as the 1973 Royal Visit Issue, printed on the scarce "hibrite" paper. Comb perf. 12.5 x 12. Vertical wove paper with smooth chalk surfacing. Smooth creamy PVA gum with a satin sheen. Full, undamaged 4 mm OP-2 tagging that is clearly screened and which glows bright green under UV light. Under ultraviolet light, the paper gives the following readings:

Unitrade lists this stamp as being on hibrite paper, but this is a gross over-simplification, as the above description shows. There are well over a dozen different paper types on this issue and Unitrade's listings are confusing and lack internal consistency. There are actually no true hibrite papers of this issue that I know of. This is the very brightest of the papers on which I have seen this stamp and compared to the others it does appear hibrite at first glance. However, compared to other true hibrite papers, it is really only a very strong medium fluorescent as the above description shows. It is much, much brighter than the less expensive and more common fluorescent paper (620ii). Unitrade lists a VF-75 NH plate block at $37.50 and four singles at $30. 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.