ottawa printing

Lot 171 Canada #39 1872-73 6c yellow brown Small Queen, Perforated 11.85 x 12, First Ottawa printing “one dot state” (plate position 94), nicely centered and fresh, mint never hinged, very fine. Accompanied by a 2019 Greene Foundation certificate. Catalogue value is for a “normal” #39 and does not take into consideration the rarity of mint stamps from the First Ottawa printing. This lot and the two following lots were in a strip of three plated as being from positions 92 to 94 from the “A” plate. The strip of three was pictured in Hillson’s article on the 6c value published in The London Philatelist. The stamps are from a very early printing, as denoted by the perforation and the small single guide dots. We note that high-quality never hinged examples of First Ottawa printing 6c are exceptionally rare. In fact, based on our research, we have not identified any premium never hinged example being offered at auction prior to these three examples. The rarity of this stamp should not be confused with the much more common, yet still elusive, 6c yellow-brown from the “three dot state” which can be seen infrequently offered in premium never hinged condition. The strip of three was separated into three singles to give three collectors the opportunity to acquire one of these rare premium examples of the 6c from the First Ottawa printing. From the John Hillson Collections. Unitrade CV$ 2,400, sold for $2500 plus 15% buyer’s premium.