Lot 275 Bahamas (C) #131b, 132a 2/- & 3/- Brownish Black & Indigo And Brownish Black & Green. 1938-1952 King George VI Definitive Issue, 3 Fine & VF Used Singles 1943 & 1952 Printings On Opaque Paper With Visible Wmk And On Paper With Cross-Hatched Mesh

3 fine & VF used singles of the 2/- & 3/- brownish black & indigo and brownish black & green Badge Of The Colony from the 1938-1952 King George VI Defiitive Issue 1943 & 1952 printings on opaque paper with visible wmk and on paper with cross-hatched mesh. This set was printed by both De La Rue, Bradbury Wilkinson and Waterlow. De La Rue printed the keyplate designs, while Waterlow printed the engraved low value designs, and Bradbury printed the 2/- and 3/- values. The initial 1938 De La Rue Printings can be identified by the plate-glazed paper, that appears completely smooth under magnification. The gum on these printings is usually yellowish and has a somewhat random crazing pattern. This crazing pattern is also common to all 1938 Waterlow printings, which can also be identified by the opaque paper. The initial Bradbury printings show the centres in a slate purple colour. Subsequent printings have this in what Gibbons calls brownish black, but in reality is a brownish grey that lacks the violet tone. The clarity of the watermark can be a guide to identifying the 1944 versus the 1942 printings, with the later having a less clear watermark.

Stanley Gibbons 2019 values this at GBP18.5. Our estimate of the value, in the condition offered is $13. The stamps offered here grade 70-75 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 30/60, 35/60

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 10/10

The second 3/- is the one on the cross-hatched mesh paper. Although there is no 1952 printing listed, this paper is the same type I commonly see used for issues from 1951-1952.