Germany - American and British Zone MI#96IIXE (657var) 1948-1951 Buildings Issue, 90pf Rose Lilac Type 2, Line Perf 11.5 x 11, Wmk X, A VG Used Single, 2023 Michel Cat. € 25, Net. Est. $6

A VG used example of the scarcer rose lilac type 2. Line perf. 11.5 x 11 and watermark X. 2023 Michel cat. €25.We graded this as VG due to the short perfs at right. Our estimate of the value for this is $6.

The 1948-1951 buildings definitive issue is extremely complex, and very little of this complexity is addressed in Scott. Two printing firms by the name of Westermann and Bagel were responsible for printing the stamps, and a number of differences in the design of the stamps with the Cathedral can be found, in addition to the type differences that Scott lists on the mark values, as well as additional sub-types that can be found on the mark values themselves. In addition, the DP multiple watermark can be found in four positions, which Michel denotes as follows: Upright with D's facing left = watermark W; upright with D's facing right = watermark X; sideways with D's facing up = watermark Y and sideways with D's facing down = watermark Z. Except on the mark values where Y or Z is the norm, both Y and Y are very rare. Finally, the perforations vary greatly. The most common perforations are comb 11.25 x 11, comb 14.25 x 14, line 11 and line 11.5 x 11. However, other combinations can be found, such as line 14 and compounds and mixed perfs of the 11, 14 and 11.5 guages. Again, some of these are very rare for particular watermarks.