Lot 249 Lagos SG#19 (SC#20) 3d Lake Brown, Queen Victoria, 1882-1886 First Crown CA Watermarked Issue, 4th Printing, A Fine Used Example, 2022 Scott Classic Cat. $8.75 USD

A fine used example of the 3d lake brown 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 24,540 stamps issued between February 1882 and June 1886. Although he does not specify how many printings were made, through research and careful study I have been able to identify 9 printings. This example is from the 4th printing. Vertical wove paper showing fine vertical mesh and watermarked crown CA. The stamp is cancelled with a relatively light strike of the Proud type K2 Lagos 8-bar bootheel killer - the predominant cancel in use at the time.

Stanley Gibbons values a VF-75 used example at 8.5 pounds = $17. A fine example should be worth approximately half this amount, or $8.50.

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

The stamp offered here grades F-68 follows:

Margins/centering: 30/60

Paper freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 8/10