Lot 174 Canada #595/av 15c Multicolored Mountain Sheep, 1972 Landscape Definitives, 13 Fine Used Singles Representing Many Of The Listed Varieties Plus Some Unlisted Varieties

13 fine used singles of the 15c multicolored Mountain Sheep from the 1972 Landscape Definitives representing many of the listed varieties plus some unlisted varieties. The lot includes:
• DF blue gray/NF blue gray, OP4 faded bars, blue tail variety
• DF blue gray/DF gray, OP4 faded bars, grass with few highlights
• DF/DF gray, OP4 yellow bars, grass with few highlights
• DF gray base/DF-fl gray blue with sparse LF & MF fibers, OP2, 3mm tag, vertical ribbed, nearly solid background
• DF gray blue/DF-fl gray blue with sparse LF + MF fibers, OP2 3mm tag, smooth paper, solid background
• DF gray blue/DF-fl gray blue with sparse LF + MF fibers, OP2 3mm tag, smooth paper, solid background, another with raised rump variety & another with blue tail variety
• DF blue gray/NF gray smooth paper, blue tail variety, type 2, perf 12.5 x 12
• DF/DF gray, solid background, type 2, perf 13.3
• DF gray/LF-fl, sparse LF fibers, solid background, type 2, perf 13.3
• DF gray/LF-fl, sparse low density LF & sparse MF, type 2, perf 13.3
• LF/MF-fl with low density MF fibers, raised rump variety, type 2, perf 13.3

Unitrade values these at $3.25. The stamps offered here grade between 65 and 70 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 25/60, 30/60

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 10/10

The 15c Mountain Sheep, in addition to the two main types can be found with background printing that varies in terms of how solid the printing appears. The coarsest is the screened background, in which individual screening dots are visible in the numerals, postes-postage and the background colour. These dots are clearly separated. The screened background is by far the scarcest of the types. Then, there is the semi-solid background, in which the dots are still visible, but are beginning to merge into one another. The nearly solid background is almost solid, but some screening dots can still be made out. The solid background may have some jaggedness to the lines, but there will be no individually discremable screening dots visible. Nearly all of the type 2 printings are either the nearly solid or solid background. The perf. 13.3 printings all have the solid background.

We have listed the two or three colour shift varieties that can be found on each of the values in this issue. For some strange reason, Unitrade only listed, until recently those varieties related to the 15c and 25c values. They de-listed them in the 2023 edition of the catalogue on the grounds that they aren't constant. However, our position is that this was a poor decision because these varieties are visually striking and thus very much collectible in our opinion. They also are not anywhere near as common as one might think, making up between 5-10% of all the stamps printed for each major printing. For each of the varieties found on the 10c, 20c and 50c that were never listed in Unitrade, we have coined a name for the variety and explained what causes it. We have generally estimated most at between $5-$15 each, which is in line with what Unitrade valued them at before they de-listed them. The main varieties that exists on this value are the blue tail, the raised rump, the white backed sheep, which was never listed in Unitrade and the double headed sheep. The blue tail exists on all type 1 and type 2 printings, but so far I have only found the raised rump on the type 2 printings.