Lot #19 Canada #454f 1c Reddish Brown, Northern Lights and Dogsled Team, 1967-1973 Centennial Issue, A VFNH Example of the Rare Printed on the Gummed Side - Only 100 Known, and 10 This Well Centered

A solid VFNH example of the key low value Centennial single: the 1c reddish brown Northern Lights and Dogsled team from the 1967-1973 Centennial issue, printed on the gummed side. PVA gum and LF-fl paper that is actually DF bluish under UV, with a sparse concentration of LF and MF fibres, with 1-2 HF fibres thrown into the mix. Perf. 11.85. According to Harris, only 1 pane of 100 was ever found ad broken up. Most of the stamps in this pane, as with many low value, line perforated Centennials were off centre. Only the bottom 2 rows were even close to having VF centering. So, this is one of the finer known examples to exist. It is the second most expensive single low value Centennial stamp, being surpassed only by the 6c orange with Winnipeg Tag on HB paper. This comes from the collection of Bob Prince.

Although Unitrade and Harris lists LF paper, in reality there are several variations of this that can be found. The main differences lie in the overall colour and brightness of the paper under UV light, and the second is the concetration of any LF, MF or HF fibres, which make the paper appear brighter than it otherwise be.

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 this stamp at $1,500, and the scarcity is such that the actual marker value is very close to this amount. The stamp offered here grades 80.