Brigham Auctions just sold the rarest stamp of Canada!

The finest known copy canada stamps #32
The sold copy

Last february 22nd Brigham sold their Large Queens collection, which was in all likelihood the most complete collection of its kind. In it was the infamous Scott #32, the green 2¢ Large Queen on laid paper. There is only 3 known copies of this stamp (the third copy was discovered last year) and the one in question is so far the finest known. The 2014 Unitrade catalogue estimated this Used Fine copy at $250,000, Brigham Auctions were estimating that the copy would sell for $900,000. The winning bid was finally $475,000, not so bad for a single stamp!

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FAQ – How are stamps printed by lithography produced?

In our last article we learned that engraving was the method of choice for printing early Canada stamps. However, in the 1950’s, Canada Post also introduced printing by lithography. While lithography has been around for a long time, it was only in those years that it started becoming really popular in commercial printing-mainly because it was fast, less expensive than engraving and produced a crisp, clean image.

One way lithography differs from engraved printing is that it is a « planographic » printing method. In other words, printed from a flat or smooth printing plate surface, as opposed to the recessed, grooved lines that engraving produces.

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