Lot 196 Canada #170i 5c Milky Blue King George V, 1930-1935 Arch Issue, A VF CDS Used Vertical Strip of 5, November 5, 1931 Calgary CDS Cancel

A VF CDS used vertical strip of 5 of the 5c milky blue King George V from the 1930-1935 Arch Issue November 5, 1931 Calgary CDS cancel. Although not listed specifically by Unitrade, the stamps of this issue exist with several different gum types, as well as shade variations of every value in the set. The gum types found vary depending on whether the stamp is a wet rotary press sheet stamp, dry rotary press stamp, or a coil stamp. The wet rotary press and coil stamps usually have either cream, deep cream or yellowish cream, semi-gloss gum. This gum can have either vertical, or in the case of coils, horizontal striations, or it can be without these.

The dry rotary press sheet stamps and booklet stamps can have at least seven types of gum.

(1) Cream with a semi-gloss sheen.
(2) Deep cream with a semi-gloss sheen.
(3) Yellowish cream with a semi-gloss sheen.
(4) Deep yellowish cream with a semi-gloss sheen.
(5) Brownish cream with a semi-gloss sheen.
(6) Mottled brownish cream with a semi-gloss sheen.
(7) Light cream with a satin sheen.

These differences in gum can aid in dating individual printings by comparing the gum to that found on the commemoratives of the period. Based on these comparisons:

1. Cream and deep cream gum with a semi-gloss sheen comes from printings made in 1930.
2. Brownish cream and mottled brownish cream gum comes from printings made in 1931 and 1932.
3. Deep cream, cream and yellowish cream gum comes from mid to late 1933.
4. Light cream gum with the satin sheen comes from 1934 and early 1935. By this time most values have been replaced by the Medailion Issue. But the high values above 13c and the 10c remained current, so some printings will have these later gum types.

Unitrade values this at $15. The strip offered here grades 78 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 40/60

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 10/10