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Brixton Chrome

Lot #110 Canada #454 1c Brown & Violet Brown, Northern Lights and Dogsled Team, 1967-1973 Centennial Issue, A Specialized Lot of Plate 4 LL Blocks on DF and DF-fl Papers

Lot #110 Canada #454 1c Brown & Violet Brown, Northern Lights and Dogsled Team, 1967-1973 Centennial Issue, A Specialized Lot of Plate 4 LL Blocks on DF and DF-fl Papers

An interesting group of plate 4 lower left corner blocks of the 1c Northern Lights and Dogsled team from the 1967-1973 Centennial issue, printed in the deep brown, chocolate or reddish chocolate shades, and on different DF and DF-fl papers and with different types of dextrine gum, as follows:

  • DF-fl light violet under UV with very few mf flecks, deep brown shade, streaky dex gum.
  • DF-fl light violet under UV with very few mf flecks, deep brown shade, streaky mottled dex gum.
  • DF light violet under UV, chocolate brown shade, streaky mottled dex gum.
  • DF grayish under UV, chocolate shade, streaky dex gum.
  • DF grayish white under UV, chocolate shade, smooth dex gum.
  • DF violet white under UV, chocolate, streaky dex gum.
  • DF grayish under UV, reddish chocolate, smooth dex gum.
  • DF-fl gray under UV with very few mf flecks, chocolate, smooth dex gum.
  • DF-fl gray under UV with very few mf flecks, chocolate, streaky dex gum.

Although Unitrade and Harris list both DF and NF-fl papers, in reality there are several variations of DF, NF, NF-fl and DF-fl paper that can be found. Irwin and Freeman list these exhaustively in their book on this issue, and the above selection is only a sampling of some of these variations.

The 1c sheet stamps printed by CBN were printed in a number of different shades, depending on when the printings were made:

  • Plate 1 and 2 printings made between 1967 and 1968 tend to be in shades of violet brown or brown.
  • Plate 1 and 2 printings made between 1968 and 1970 tend to be printed in shades of chocolate and reddish chocolate.
  • Plate 3 and 4 printings made between 1970 and 1971 tend to be printed in shades of deep brown, chocolate or reddish chocolate.
  • Plate 5 printings made between 1971 and 1973 tend to be printed in shades of reddish brown, though chocolate shades are also found.

The collage shows the differences between some of these shades, though they are easier to see in the flesh for some reason.

The gum used on all printings to 1971 is dextrine, but within this category, there are a number of different types, which differ by the way the gum appears, when viewed in light:

  • Early printings have yellowish gum that appears either completely smooth, mildly streaky, or very streaky, and has a semi-gloss sheen.
  • Later printings made toward 1970 have gum that has a distinct satin sheen, and can occasionally appear grainy.
  • Plate 3 and 4 printings made between 1970 and 1971 often have a gum that appears mottled and "sponged on". This is a very distinct look that is not seen on the earlier plate 1 and 2 printings. However, the normal smooth and streaky versions of the dextrine gum is also found on these printings as well.

The PVA gum used on the plate 5 printings, shows very little variation, but a subtle difference can be found in the sheen and thickness of the gum, with the earlier printings having a thicker gum with a satin sheen, compared to a slightly thinner gum that has an eggshell sheen.

Unitrade values these blocks at $67.50. The blocks are all VF, grading between 75 and 84,

The perfs are unlisted and unidentified in these lots, but a combination of any of the following measurements exist for each side: 12, 11.9, 11.95 and 11.85.

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