Lot 96 Canada #62 $2 Violet Queen Victoria, 1897 Diamond Jubilee Issue, A VFNH Example With 1999 Greene Certificate

A VFNH example of the $2 violet Queen Victoria from the 1897 Diamond Jubilee Issue with 1999 Greene certificate. The Greene certificate expresses a clear opinion and states that the gum is original and NH, with no qualifications being expressed. There are a couple of very light natural bends in the gum at the top, but these are trivial and are not mentioned on the certificate. There is also a very, very light shadow on parts of the gum, which is clearly not due to a hinge or storage. Neither of these two things is mentioned on the certificate, and both would almost certainly have been present when the committee examined the stamp. They felt that these were insignificant enough for them to express a clear opinion on the gum, classifying it as mint NH, and I would agree with this.

I mention it though, just for sake of being thorough in my description. Any other auction house will describe this as VFNH and will assess the full 200% premium on the gum, and will realize a very hefty percentage of this, as very few of the dollar value jubilees have survived with gum this pristine. The attached sheet margin more than compensates for the minor imperfections in the gum, which are completely natural. This is one of the nicest mint $2 jubilees I have seen, when all condition factors are taken into account. The colour is unusually deep and vibrant, and suffers from none of the fading that commonly plagues the ink on this and the $4 value. A fantastic stamp for the highest calibre collection.

Unitrade values this at $6,000. The stamp offered here grades 75 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 45/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10