Lot 171 Lagos SG#1 1d Reddish Lilac & Dull Purple 2nd Printing Crown CC Watermark Perf. 12.5 VF-80 OG, 2022 Scott Classic cat. $80 For Most Common Printing

A well centered, fresh and mint OG example of the 1d reddish lilac & dull purple 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 19,800 stamps issued across 6 different printings between May 12, 1874 and May 13, 1875. This example is from the scarce second printing from September 14, 1874, of which only 2,400 stamps were printed. Vertical wove paper showing no visible mesh and watermarked crown CC. Full, matte original gum, which has a discoloured hinge remnant at top. This discolouration is not visible from the front and does not detract significantly as crown CC issues are seldom found with full original gum. 2022 Scott Classic values a VF-75 mint example of the more common sixth printing at $80 USD. However, only 12% of all stamps in existence are from the second printing, and consequently, they are worth at least double this amount.

The stamp offered here grades VF-80 mint OG as follows:

Margins/centering: 54/70

Paper freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 6/10