Lot 312 (C) New Brunswick #1a 3d Dark Red Crown & Heraldic Flowers, 1851-1860 Pence Issue, A VG Used Single On Piece With Blue #8 Chatham Grid Cancel, RF#5 Corresponding To Very Scarce

A VG used single of the 3d dark red Crown & Heraldic Flowers from the 1851-1860 Pence Issue on piece with blue #8 Chatham grid cancel, RF#5 corresponding to very scarce. A VG used example of this stamp on piece, with the very scarce Chatham grid cancel, struck in blue. Holding the piece to backlight does not reveal any faults. There is one oversize margin at the top, which shows a small portion of the adjoining stamp. The left margin is clear but close. The bottom margin is clear from the left corner to the "T" of Postage, at which point, it just touches, or splits the bottom frameline. The right margin is much the same, being just clear at the bottom corner, up to the "S" of "Brunswick, and from there on up, just touching to splitting the frameline. Without the large top margin this would be a lower end VG example, but with the margin it becomes a mid to high range VG example.

Unitrade values this at $400, for fine used, and 2022 Scott Classic assigns a $150 premium for the cancel. Our estimate of the value for the condition offered is $235. The stamp offered here grades 70 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 30/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations:

Cancellation: 10/10

The pence issues are notorious for condition problems. First of all the paper used was very soft and fragile: it tears very easily, creases easily and thins very, very easily. As a result, very few stamps have survived without at least one of these three faults. Many have been repaired or rebacked to conceal these faults. The genuine paper should have a somewhat rough surface under magnification, and will often show very fine mesh. If it is smooth, lacks any bluish undertone and shows no mesh at all, even when held to backlight, it very likely has been rebacked. The second major condition issue with these is small to no margins. This is because the printing plates for these were laid down by hand, by just 2 or three individuals. Spacing between the impressions was often no more than 1 mm, to even less, and occasionally slightly more, so that margins are rarely more than 1/2 mm wide. So, quite often a stamp will appear to have fewer than 4 margins, even when it does. Full margins on all sides is XF to superb. VF stamps will have 4 margins of 1/2 mm width.

This is a consignment lot. Accordingly, a 15% buyer's premium will be added to the hammer price.