Lot 242 Lagos SG#17 (SC#14) 1d Deep Reddish Lilac, Queen Victoria, 1882-1886 First Crown CA Watermarked Issue, 1st Printing, A VF Mint OG Example, 2022 Scott Classic Cat. $42.50 USD

A well centered and very fine mint OG example of the 1d deep reddish lilac Queen Victoria De La Rue Keyplate stamp from the 1882-1884 first Crown CA watermarked issue, printed in the original colours. According to J.F Ince in his definitive work, there were a total of 31,980 stamps issued between February 1882 and December 1885. Although he does not specify how many printings were made, through research and careful study I have been able to identify 8 printings. This example is from the first printing. Vertical wove paper showing no visible mesh, crackly gum and watermarked crown CA.

Stanley Gibbons values a VF-75 mint OG example at 32 pounds = $64.00.

I have written a blog post which explains the differences between the printings, which you can access here.

The stamp offered here grades VF-80 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