Lot 439 Canada #567aivar 8c Multicoloured Micmac Indians & Artifacts, 1972 Algonkian Indians Issue, A Fine NH Pair Hole In Teepee, Possibly Tertiary/Constant, F5/HB11 Paper

A Fine NH pair of the 8c multicoloured Micmac Indians & Artifacts from the 1972 Algonkian Indians Issue hole in teepee, possibly tertiary/constant, F5/HB11 paper. The lithographed stamps of this issue were printed by Saults & Pollard, a Calgary-based affiliate of BABN. This is the same firm that printed the Krieghoff stamp, and as with that stamp, there are a number of constant and tertiary plate varieties that can be collected. Unitrade states that the stamps were printed in panes of 50, but what they do not tell you is how many panes made up the complete print layout for the presses, as this will determine the ultimate scarcity of many semi-constant varieties that occur in the panes. The Krieghoff stamp had a print layout that consisted of 6 panes of 50, so that one has to examine 300 stamps before one can be satisfied that they have seen all of the potentially constant varieties that exist. Furthermore, many of the known varieties occur on only one of the 6 panes in the layout, meaning that they only occur once in every 300 stamps. They are still constant, but are known as tertiary, rather than fully constant varieties. In studying this issue there are at least 6-8 varieties that we have found that are at least tertiary, and probably closer to 12-15 varieties. The varieties on offer in this sale, we believe, represents a good proportion of the number that exist, though potentially not all of them. It would be reasonable to postulate that the print layout very likely was the same as that used for the Kreighoff issue, being 6 panes of 50. In terms of paper, several variations of the basic chalk surfaced paper are found. Most are HB on the back, varying from HB10 to HB11 on the Irwin-Freeman scale, with a few HF9's or 8's existing. On the front, the fluorescence ranges from DF all the way up to HB. Unitrade only lists HB/DF, F/HB and HB/HB, with the F/HB being a premium paper, but after going through several hundred corner blocks and singles, I can coNFidently state that stamps with DF back are extremely scarce, and that Unitrade has this listing completely wrong, in that the HB/HB should be the default listing, with the HB/DF being valued much, much higher. What is listed as HB/HB actually exists as MF/HB and HF/HB, with all the numbers on the scale being found (i.e. MF6 and MF7, as well as HF8 and HF9). The F/HB also esists as LF/HB and DF/HB, with all of those being scarce, and worth every bit as much as Unitrade lists the F/HB paper at.

Unitrade values this at $15. The pair offered here grades 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: 10/10