Lot #18 Canada #454 1c Reddish Chocolate, Northern Lights and Dogsled Team, 1967-1973 Centennial Issue, A VGNH Example of A Dramatic Ink Smear, Figure 252 in Harris, Ex. Prince

A VGNH example of the illustrated dramatic ink smear of the 1c reddish chocolate Northern Lights and Dogsled team from the 1967-1973 Centennial issue, printed on DF paper appearing greyish under UV. Perf. 11.9 x 11.85, with streaky dextrine gum. A small corner crease in the upper left corner reduces the grade from VF to VG. However this is a scarce item, and comes from the collection of Bob Prince, being illustrated in Harris as Fig. 252.

Although Unitrade and Harris lists DF paper, in reality there are several variations of DF paper that can be found. Irwin and Freeman list these exhaustively in their book on this issue, and the DF greyish is only one of many types that exist.

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.

Neither Unitrade nor Harris prices this type of smudge, but on account of its scaricty we estimate the value to be $50, even with the small crease, as it is the only one we have seen in many years. The stamp offered here grades 60.