
| The SG uncatalogued 1866 QV 1/- in bluish slate (SG.8 variety), ST. VINCENT stamps: A very fine exceedingly rare fresh mounted mint example of this unlisted stamp with printer's guide-line lower right corner, together with a fine used example with crisp horiz. brown "A10" (PML.3), plus a mint pair of the QV 1/- indigo (SG.13) for comparison. The QV 1/- indigo (SG.13) was invoiced FE 27 1869 and the known covers spanning period AP 24 69 to OC 10 70 all fall within the use of the VERTICAL "A10" used period SP 25 68 to JU 10 72. Use of the horizontal "A10" on 1/- indigo is therefore an impossible contemporary combination. The St. Vincent PML handbook Page 34 acknowledges that the August 1866 QV 1/- Perforation B 11-13 exist in both the listed slate-grey (SG.8, Cat.£2500 mint) and also in a "bluish-shade" and initially surmised that at least two sheets perforated B slate-grey were mixed among the 500 plus sheets of the consignment. BWISC member Dr. Bruce Aitken has suggested that as this stamp was printed alongside the QV 4d deep blue (SG.6) the printers may have realised they were a few sheets short and made a special printing that came out a bit bluish in order to fill the order. Brown ink was used in the last 3 months of 1867, and used examples of this bluish slate variety were offered in the Jaffe collection. £3500 | |