Great Britain SC#353b SG#570l 1/2d Orange Queen Elizabeth II, 1958-1967 Wilding Issue, Multiple Crown Watermark, Booklet Panes of 4, Cream Paper, LF-fl Under UV, Slightly Different Shades, VFNH

A very fine mint NH booklet panes of 4 of the 1/2d orange Queen Elizabeth II stamp from the 1958-1967 Wilding Issue. Multiple crown watermark on dull fluorescent flecked cream paper. Although not listed in Gibbons Specialized both the cream and white papers on the multiple crown watermark can be found with wide differences in fluorescence when viewed under long-wave UV light. The cream papers generally are either non-fluorescent or dull fluorescent with fluorescent flecks that make the paper appear LF. The white papers exhibit a much broader range, from dull fluorescent all the way to hibrite, with many of the fluorescent papers having fluorescent flecks of varying concentrations and brightness levels in the paper. Gibbons values this at £30. This translates to approximately $60. The booklet panes offered here grade between 75 and 84.

We have written a post that gives a good overview of this issue, explaining how the different varieties fit into the whole. The post identifies the key points of interest and explains how you can turn it into a super specialized collection. You can access that post here.