Lot 202 Canada #597iii var 25c Multicoloured Polar Bears, 1972 - 1977 Landscape Definitives Issue, 2 VFNH Singles W2B Vertical Ribbed Unlisted NF/LF Papers Greenish Blue Shade, Unlisted In Unitrade. Type 1 Perf 12.5x12

2 VFNH singles of the 25c multicoloured Polar Bears from the 1972 - 1977 Landscape Definitives Issue W2B vertical ribbed unlisted NF/LF papers greenish blue shade, unlisted in unitrade. Type 1 perf 12.5x12. Includes:
-NF grey blue/DF-fl sparse LF fibres.
-NF grey blue/DF-fl sparse LF & MF fibres.
These papers are very scarce and unlisted in Unitrade. Only a few corner blocks turned up in a few hundred.

Our estimated value is $20. The stamps offered here grades 80 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 50/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

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 Siamese bears and the water on ice variety, in which water appears on the ice sheet to the right of the bears. This value also comes in two very distinct shades: a pale blue water, which often has a greenish cast, and a much deeper, brighter blue, which lacks the greenish tone, that I call the baby blue. This colour appears on both the type 1 and type 2 printings, and all perf. 13 printings are exclusively this colour. The pale blue seems to be limited to type 1 printings.