Great Britain SG#M12 3/- Deep Red & Black Cover 1956-1959 Wilding Issue, A Complete Booklet With Mixed Upright & Inverted Multiple St. Edward's Crown Watermark, Panes of 6, Type B GPO Cypher, February 1959

A fine example of this 3/- booklet from the 1956-1959 Wilding Issue With the mixed upright and inverted multiple St. Edward's Crown watermark. The contents have the following characteristics:

Paper type: Vertical cream wove paper, watermarked upright and inverted multiple St. Edward's Crown.

Printing method: Photogravure

Rate page features: February 1959 date printed in lower left corner.

Printer: Harrison and Sons

Perforation or die cut: 15 x 14 comb (Type I)

Stamp colours: 1/2d orange, 1d ultramarine, 1.5d deep green, 3d purple.

Gum Type: smooth cream coloured gum Arabic (dextrine gum) with a semi-gloss sheen

The covers display the following characteristics:

Cover fluorescence: Dull fluorescent on front and back

Cover seal type: unsealed

Cover design: Type B GPO cypher

Cover binding type: stitched with black thread

Interleaving inside? Yes, 5 double sided text pages, with adverts, giving a medium fluorescent reaction under UV light

Cover Colours: deep red with black writing

Counting mark on cover?:Yes

The Gibbons catalogue value for a F-65 mint example of this booklet is £35. This translates to $70. The booklet offered here grades F-73 as follows:

Cover freshness: 10/10

Centering of the panes: 45/70 (average of both panes)

Condition of cover edges: 5/5

Freshness of the panes: 5/5

Absence of visible cover flaws or stains: 5/5

Condition of interleaving and contents: 4/5 (perfs trimmed along one edge of one pane)

The white papers of the panes do exhibit variations under long-wave ultraviolet light, starting with the multiple crown watermark. Generally they vary from low fluorescent to hibrite, as well as various flecked papers.

The perforators used also vary, and the differences lie in whether the vertical perforations extend into the selvage:

• Type I - vertical perforations do not extend into the selvage, so that selvage is fully imperforate at the vertical sides.
• Type I(1/2v) - as above, but one corner of the selvage is skimmed off.
• Type AP - Side perfs extend all the way through the selvage, but the middle row of perforations do not.
• Type P - all perforations extend all the way through the selvage.