Lot 245 Canada # 178-183 1c - 3c Orange - Scarlet King George V, 1930-1935 Arch Issue, A Fine OG and VFOG Complete Set

A Fine OG and VFOG complete set of the 1c - 3c orange - scarlet King George V from the 1930-1935 Arch Issue.

All stamps are VF except the 1c orange, which is fine. All except the 3c scarlet have semi-gloss cream gum with no horizontal striations, whereas the 3c scarlet has cream gum with clear horizontal striations.

Unitrade values these stamps at $110. The stamps offered here grade between 70 and 84 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 40/70, 45/70, 50/70 and 54/70
Paper Freshness: 5/5
Colour: 5/5
Impression: 5/5
Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5
Perforations: 10/10

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 By this time most values have been replaced by the Medailion Issue.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.