Lot 304 Canada #E4-E5 20c Henna Brown, 1932-1935 Special Delivery Issue, 2 Fine LH Examples

2 FLH singles of the 20c henna brown from the 1932-1935 Special Delivery Issue, with "Twenty Cents" and "Cents" inscriptions. These are the special delivery stamps for the 1930-1932 Arch Issue and 1932-1935 Medallion issue respectively.

Unitrade values these at $60. The stamps offered here grade 70 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 40/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 8/10

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. Mottled brownish cream and brownish cream gums come from December 1932 and very early 1933.
2. Deep cream, cream and yellowish cream gum comes from mid to late 1933.
3. Light cream gum with the satin sheen comes from 1934 and early 1935.