Lot 478 Nigeria #293a, 294c 3k, 5k Multicoloured Cement & Cattle Ranching, 1975-1986 Nigerian Life & Industry Definitive Issue - Watermarked, 9 Fine & VFNH Singles On Different Papers With Different Shades, Different From Lot 477

9 fine & VFNH singles of the 3k, 5k multicoloured Cement & Cattle Ranching from the 1975-1986 Nigerian Life & Industry Definitive Issue - Watermarked on different papers with different shades, different from lot 477. The 3k includes: (1) NF/LF-fl paper with visible vertical mesh, and upright wmk, grey, bright yellow, reddish lilac, red and pale yellow green, red yellow and reddish lilac are the top colours, eggshell PVA; (2) HF/HF-fl paper with upright wmk, eggshell PVA. The 5k includes (3) deep bright blue, dark green, deep emerald, deep brown orange & brownish black, LF/MF paper, with inverted wmk and horizontal mesh; (4) DF/F paper with clear horizontal mesh and inverted wmk, similar colour to (3) but brown black is lighter, containing more brown and less black; (5) bright blue, deep brownish black, brown orange, dark green & emerald with the brown orange being the top colour, HF/HF paper with upright wmk, and horizontal mesh; (6) deep bright blue, black, brown orange, dark green & deep emerald, with the brown orange & emerald being the top colours, LF/LF paper with clear horizontal mesh and upright wmk; (7) bright blue, emerald, brown orange, with fewer white spots on head of closest calf, dark green and brown black, LF/MF paper with horizontal mesh and upright wmk; (8) bright blue, dark green, yellow green , orange brown and grey black, on NF/F paper with upright wmk, eggshell PVA; (9) pale bright blue, pale yellow green (Cypress green), pale brown orange, pale brownish black, NF/MF paper with upright wmk, satin PVA;

2017 Scott values this at $16.25.

The watermarked lithographed printings of this issue appeared from 1975 onwards, and constitute the scarcest and most complex of all the stamps in this issue. The initial printings were very similar to the unwatermarked ones, and were on a thicker chalky paper with PVA gum. Later printings became successively blurrier and the paper surfacing in the early 1980's took on a grainy texture. In contrast to the previous printings which were almost exclusively medium to high fluorescent, these cover the full range from dead to hibrite, and the readings on the front and back of the stamps are usually different, often wildly different. Very late printings, made on an emergency basis during the inflation period in the early 1990's are on dull paper containing red-orange fluorescent fibres. In keeping with the earlier unwatermarked printings, the colours were printed separately, and the order in which they were printed differs. Thus, we describe them with reference to what the top colour is. Scott is hopelessly inaccurate on the mint stamps of this issue, which are seldom found in the market. This is why all the values in Scott are in italics. I very highly doubt that any of them are worth just 25c each. In 10 years of daily buing on E-bay and Delcampe I managed to assemble a stock of about 2 dozen sets of the photogravure printings and about as many of the unwatermarked lithographed and even fewer of the watermarked lithographed stamps, plus a few multiples. That's hardly anything at all. Used is no problem at all - most were used up for postage, but mint is another story. The sheets of this issue are 50 stamps and had imperforate selvedge at top and bottom. The side selvedge has a single extension perforation hole beyond the outer vertical perforations, on both left and right margins.