Lot 254 Lagos SG#20 (Sc#22) 4d Bluish Carmine Rose, Queen Victoria, 1882-1886 First Crown CA Watermarked Issue, 4th Printing, A Fine Used Example, 2022 Scott Classic Cat. $14 USD

A fine used example of the 4d bluish carmine rose 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 36,240 stamps issued between February 1882 and April 1884. 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 no visible mesh and watermarked crown CA. Cancelled with a relatively light strike of a 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 12 pounds = $24. A fine example should be worth approximately half this amount, or $12.

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 as 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