Lot 268 Lagos SG#24 (SC#23) 4d Pale Bluish Slate Violet, Queen Victoria, 1884-1886 Second Crown CA Watermarked Issue, 4th Printing, A Fine Used Example, 2022 Scott Classic Cat. $12.50 USD

A fine used example of the 4d pale bluish slate violet Queen Victoria De La Rue Keyplate stamp from the 1884-1886 second Crown CA watermarked issue, printed in the new colours. According to J.F Ince in his definitive work, there were a total of 41,760 stamps issued across 11 printings between July 1884 and December 1886. This example is from the 4th printing. Vertical wove paper showing no visible mesh and watermarked crown CA. Cancelled with a 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 9.50 pounds = $19. A fine example should be worth approximately half this amount, or $9.50.

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

The stamp offered here grades F-65 as follows:

Margins/centering: 25/60

Paper freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 10/10