Lot 172 Lagos SG#1 1d Reddish Lilac & Dull Purple 2nd Printing Crown CC Watermark Perf. 12.5 VF-80 Used, 2022 Scott Classic Cat. $50 USD For Most Common Printing

A well centered, very fine and attractive used example of the 1d reddish lilac and 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. It is postmarked with a nice clear partial strike of October 20, 1874 Proud type D7 Lagos CDS with timecode B. Vertical wove paper showing no visible mesh and watermarked crown CC. 2022 Scott Classic values a VF-75 used example of the more common sixth printing at $50 USD. However, only 12% of all stamps in existence are from the second printing, and consequently, in our opinion, they are worth at least double this amount.

The stamp offered here grades VF-80 used as follows:

Margins/centering: 44/60

Paper freshness: 4/5

Colour: 4/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 8/10

Cancellation: 10/10