Morocco Agencies French Currency #420 (SG#209) 90 Centimes on 9d Olive Green, 1924-1934 King George V Heads, Watermarked Block Cypher, Two VFNH Examples, Each a Different Shade

Two VFNH examples of the 90 centimes on 9d olive green King George V stamp from the 1924-1934 Block Cypher Issue. One stamp is deep olive green, while the other is paler olive green.

This issue in Great Britain is listed with many, many shades in Gibbons, due in large part to the interruptions in supplies of ink that occurred during WW1, as most of the dyes were originally sourced from Germany, and substitutions had to be made during the war. The result was an issue that is one of the best for the lover of shades. Of course, all the GB offices that used the basic issue with surcharges and overprints will exist with the same range of shades as the basic stamps, and for some of these there should very likely be a premium, as some of the shades are scarcer than others. Even after the war, and into the Block Cypher issue the shades persist.

Gibbons lists these stamps at 44 pounds (approx. $88) for hinged. NH should be worth approximately double, so $176. The stamps offered here grade 80 as follows:

Centering/Margins 50/70

Paper freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of visible paper flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10