Canada #973a & 973b - 1982 Christmas Issue, The Unique Foldover Error Sheet of 50

A unique intact field stock sheet of 50 of the 1982 Christmas Issue, containing both major errors: the printed on the gummed side and all colours except black omitted.

This marvelous combination of errors arose when a portion of the gummed side of the sheet became folded over on top of the printing side of the sheet while the stamps were being printed. As the picture shows, the foldover occurred on an angle, so that there is one full stamp printed on the gummed side and 8 other partial examples.

When the folded piece is opened out, it reveals full offset of the black portion of the design on the back of the printed on gummed side errors, and the same number of stamps (1 full and 8 partial) with all colour missing except the black.

This sheet was bought by a Montreal stamp dealer on Christmas Eve in 1982 and has been kept in his family ever since. There was one other sheet that surfaced on the market shortly after this one was purchased, and it was acquired by Saskatoon dealer John Jamieson of Saskatoon Stamp Centre. This second sheet is the one that is illustrated in Unitrade, but it is our understanding that it is no longer intact, leaving this as the sole known intact error sheet.

Although there are many errors that have arisen during the Elizabethan period of Canadian philately, there are few that can come close to rivaling this, in terms of how spectacular the error is. There are really only two modern errors that come close in my opinion to this:

1. The largest known block of the 1959 St. Lawrence Seaway invert, and
2. The pairs and strips of the $2 Truro Normal School invert, from the 1994 definitive issue.

However, neither of those is a double error, nor are either a full sheet, as this is. This piece is undoubtedly one of the most important, if not the most important item in all of Canadian philately for the Elizabethan period. It will prove to be a gold medal exhibition item, without a doubt.

Our client has instructed us to offer this sheet intact for the sum of $250,000. We arrived at that value as follows:

1. Each error lists in Unitrade for $20,000, with the value in italics, indicating that that was what they brought at auction the last time they were sold.
2. There are a total of 18 affected stamps and because the sheet is being left intact, the fact that some of the stamps are only partial stamps is of less importance. If all 18 stamps are valued at $20,000 each, then the total value would be $360,000. We feel that is too high because of the fact that many of the stamps are partial stamps, so we feel that $250,000 is closer to the mark.

Please note that if you are interested in this sheet, to please contact us to discuss further. Our telephone number is:

647-286-0842

and our e-mail address is:

info@brixtonchrome.com

We do not have the sheet in our possession, but will make arrangements to take delivery of it when we have received a serious expression of interest.