Lot 406 Canada #782i 2c Multicoloured Western Columbine, 1977-1982 Floral & Environment Issue, A Fine Used Single On NF/DF1 Paper With Hook Tag Flaw - The Scarcest of The Hook Tags, Hook Near Top Of Design

A fine used single of the 2c multicoloured Western Columbine from the 1977-1982 Floral & Environment Issue on NF/DF1 paper with hook tag flaw - the scarcest of the hook tags, hook near top of design. The hook tag flaw is found only on a few printings from late 1981 and early 1982. It first appeared on some of the 50c vending machine booklets with the maple leaf design, from the Artifacts issue. So, the low values were in the process of being replaced by the artifact designs when this flaw appeared. It is clear, from the fact that it appears on the low value sheet stamps and from the booklet stamps, that BABN used the same tagging plates on several of the values. Because these appeared so late in the life of the issue, they are incredibly rare - much more so than the modest catalogue values would suggest: I have literally many dozen stamps that catalogue $40. But I went through easily 3,000 used stamps - 30 bundles of 100 in order to find these examples (lots 407-409). The hook in the flaw moves up and down the sheet, so that on this example, the hook appears toward the top of the stamp.

Unitrade values this at $40. The stamp offered here grades 67 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 35/60

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 6/10

Cancellation: 6/10