Lot 202 Lagos SG#5 (SC#4) 4d Carmine-Lake, Queen Victoria, 1874-1876 Perf. 12.5 Crown CC Watermarked Issue, 6th Printing, A Very Fine Used Example, 2022 Scott Classic Cat. $50 USD For The Most Common Printing

A well centered and very fine used example of the 4d carmine lake Queen Victoria De La Rue Keyplate stamp from the 1874-1876 Perf. 12.5 Crown CC issue. According to J.F Ince in his definitive work, there were a total of 22,320 stamps issued across 7 different printings between May 12, 1874 and May 13, 1875. This example is from the sixth printing from February 3, 1875, of which 3,180 stamps were printed. Vertical wove paper showing fine vertical mesh and watermarked crown CC. Cancelled with an indistinct grid cancel.

Stanley Gibbons values a VF-75 used example of the more common seventh printing example at 50 pounds = $100. The sixth printing is almost twice as scarce, as the seventh printing, and should be worth a premium over this amount. So a reasonable value would be $110-$125.

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

The stamp offered here grades VF-78 as follows:

Margins/centering: 40/60

Paper freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 8/10