Southern Nigeria SG#11 1d Grey and Aniline Carmine Rose, Three Different Shades, With SON Asaba, Akassa and Sapele CDS Cancels

Three very fine used singles of the 1d grey and aniline carmine rose King Edward VII stamp from the 1903-1904 Single Crown CA keyplate issue. Although not listed in Gibbons, there were several printings of these stamps, and each differs by the shade of grey used to print the head. One single has the head printed in deep brownish grey, and is cancelled with October 29, 1903 Asaba cancel (Proud type D5). The second stamp has the head printed in brownish grey, and is cancelled with April 19, 1907 Sapelle cancel (Proud type D4). The third stamp has the head printed in grey and is cancelled with October 20, 1903 Akassa cancel (Proud type D5). The estimated value of these, based on the point system quoted in Proud is approximately $60. The Asaba cancel is the scarcest of the three and is worth approximately half the total. The stamps offered here grade VF-75, VF-80 and VF-84 as follows:

Margins/centering: 44/60 (Akassa), 40/60 (Sapelle) and 35/60 (Asaba)

Paper freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 10/10