To see what is likely the worst copy of the 5¢ on 6¢ Small Queen in existence, (but it’s mine!) ;) click *HERE*.
Jump down to the 'Lesser' 5¢ on 6¢ area - HERE
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Scott 43c
6¢ Red Brown
5¢ on 6¢ Small Queen
Plate B, Position #25
The 5¢ Small Queen design that can be found as a band through the upper portion of the 6¢ design.
Example #1 - ^ Above is a mint copy of the 5 on 6, Courtesy Saskatoon Stamp Centre
Example #2 - ^ Courtesy of Garfield Portch
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Example #3 - ^ Courtesy of Ted Nixon ^ (Sold at t he recent Eastern Auctions Sale on March 10, 2012)
Example #4 - ^ Courtesy of R. Maresch & Son Auctions, Sale 476, February 28, 2012 ^
Example #5 - ^ Anonymous
Example #6 - ^ Courtesy of Eastern Auctions Ltd ^ A gorgeous mint copy recently sold by Eastern Auctions in early 2013
Example #7 - ^ Courtesy of Eastern Auctions Ltd ^ An amazing used block of 6 with B25 at bottom centre recently sold by Eastern Auctions in early 2013
Example #7 (2) - ^ Courtesy of Eastern Auctions Ltd ^ The gorgeous single from the above block of 6
Example #8 ^ From the RETrimble Collection ^ (It's a shame about the missing perf at the top!)
Example #9 - ^ The Worst Copy in Existence - The RETrimble Collection
The RETrimble Collection
Example #10- ^ A new TWIN to the Worst Copy in Existence - I was amazed to come across this ‘identical’ copy to my worst copy! It is identical in all ways except for the damage! It must have been printed and perforated at the same time as my ‘Worst’ copy!
Here they are side by side. Amazing coincidence, eh???
EGADS!!! They’re TRIPLETS!!! (Sorry, I don’t know the owner of this one! It was submitted to The Greene Foundation Expert Committee some time ago, and all I have is this scan.)
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Scott #43c
This article below originally appeared in BNA TOPICS in 1993.
THE SEVEN PLATE POSITIONS OF THE 5¢ ON 6¢ SMALL QUEEN
by Ralph E. Trimble
As we are all aware, the controversy of the 5¢ entry on the 6¢ design of the Small Queen Issue rages on. Over the past two years, along with the concerns about how the variety occurred, we have had the added problem of the lesser 5 on 6s that have been shown to exist in Positions 11, 20 & 21 of the A Plate, which are typified by the arc through the tiara and slight indications of some horizontal and vertical lines from the 5¢ design. These shall be dealt with further on.
Well, to further complicate matters, it is now known that there are THREE, that’s right, THREE different versions, and therefore different plate positions, of the original strong 5¢ on 6¢! Only one of these has been plated so far, and that is the original variety from B25. This is now known as TYPE 1, and is seen in Fig. 1a & 1b. Note carefully the position of the top horizontal line of the 5¢ design and where it cuts through the NA of CANADA and AG of POSTAGE. The position of this line is crucial in determining exactly which of the three types you may have.
B25
Fig. 1a ^
B25
Fig. 1b ^
The second example, TYPE 2, Fig. 2a & 2b, which is as yet unplated, shows the line through NA in a slightly lower position than TYPE 1. It is also slightly lower in the bottom strip of colour at the base of the A of POSTAGE, yet appears higher in the G. This suggests that the transfer roll was twisted slightly counterclockwise in comparison to TYPE 1.
Fig. 2a ^
Fig. 2b ^
Both TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 have been known for some time now, but without close-up photos such as those seen here, it has proven difficult to have them recognized and accepted by many Small Queen specialists. Indeed, the actual copy of the TYPE 2 stamp shown here was Fig. 6 in Winthrop S. Boggs’ 1959 article in THE COLLECTORS CLUB PHILATELIST, and Fig. 3 in Peter Hurst’s 1969 article in the LONDON PHILATELIST. It is presently owned by Bill Simpson.
Now, if TWO strong versions of the 5 on 6 were not enough, a THIRD type has surfaced! In Fig. 3a & 3b you see yet another 5 on 6 which has been called TYPE 3. As you can see, the line through NA of CANADA looks pretty well identical to TYPE 2, but when you look at the AG of POSTAGE, there is a startling difference! The line is now near the bottom of the strip of colour at the base of the A, and cuts through the top of the G much lower than in either TYPE 1 or TYPE 2. The 5¢ design below this line also appears much lower than on TYPE 3, but this is simply because the top rows of little squares seen in TYPE 1 did not transfer. On TYPE 2, the vertical lines transferred, but the horizontal ones that formed the little squares on TYPE 1 did not.
Fig. 3a ^
Fig. 3b ^
So here we have THREE distinct versions of the strong 5 on 6, only one of which, TYPE 1, has been plated. Chances are great, however, that TYPES 2 & 3 also occurred on the late re-entered state of the B Pane. Full sheets of the late states of Plate A and Pane C were examined and neither proved to have either of these two types. A complete, late state of the B Pane is not known.
The 'Lesser' 5¢ on 6¢ Small Queens
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Scott #43
6¢ Red Brown
Lesser 5¢ on 6¢
Plate A, Position #20
The 'Lesser' 5¢ on 6¢ Small Queens
Having shown you detailed close-ups of the three different plate positions of the strong versions of the 5¢ on 6¢, I am now going to examine the fainter, thus ‘lesser’, versions of the 5 on 6. Until fairly recently, three were known, all on the A Pane, and for which the plate positions are known. However, Bill Burden, of the Small Queen Study Group, has discovered three copies of yet another position which is not on the A Plate. While some reject the notion that these are indeed legitimate 5 on 6s, as we shall see from the very first example, they can be nothing but!
The three known positions on the A Plate are #11, 20 & 21. A20 is the strongest of the three, and is seen in Fig. 4. Along with the heavy arc through the tiara and the dots in the hair, there is the horizontal line through AG and in the white oval below the T, as well as the unmistakable tiny rectangles in the oval below the A. If you compare all of these markings to those on the strong versions shown earlier, there is no question that these originated from the 5¢ design. A21, seen in Fig. 5, has fainter markings, but the line is visible in AG, and the arc in the tiara is strong. A11 is the weakest of the three, but the arc through the tiara is unmistakable, so it must too be a 5 on 6. Since this article was written, two more examples of 5 on 6's have been identified. They are from C100 and C26 and scans and descriptions have been added to the end of this article.
A20
^ Above is a gorgeous block of 6, containing the Lesser 5 on 6, A20, in the LR corner
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
Above is a full scan of the stamp from the lower right of the above block of 6, A20
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
^ Courtesy of Ken Bailey ^ A copy of A20 with a precancel has surfaced; the first one reported to me.
Fig. 4 ^
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Scott #43
6¢ Red Brown
Lesser 5¢ on 6¢
Plate A, Position #21
A21
^ Above is a lovely block of 4, containing the Lesser 5 on 6, A21, in the UL corner. ^
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
^ Above is a close-up of the UL stamp, the Lesser 5 on 6, A21. ^
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
Below is a gorgeous marginal pair from the proof sheet showing the 5 on 6 from position A21. Scroll down for a larger view.
Courtesy of Saskatoon Stamp Centre
^ Courtesy of Saskatoon Stamp Centre ^ Above is a gorgeous marginal pair from the proof sheet showing the 5 on 6 from position A21.
^ Courtesy of Saskatoon Stamp Centre^ Here is another margin copy of A21 presently in John Jamieson's stock (July 25, 2013 - $1,950.00 CDN)
Fig. 5 ^
Like the strong 5 on 6s, both A20 & A21 have numerous dashes or markings in the hair below A P, which are remnants of the lettering of CANADA POSTAGE. On A20 the vertical dash below the A touches the top of the head, whereas on A21 this dash does not touch the top line and there is a small gap visible between the dash and the top of the head. Note the slightly twisted re-entry showing at the lower right corner.
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Scott #43
6¢ Red Brown
Lesser 5¢ on 6¢
Plate A, Position #11
A11 is the weakest of the three plated positions and is seen in Fig. 6. Indeed, most of the evidence is gone, except for the tiny arc that crosses the tiara in approximately the same position as A20 & A21. One might say that this is really stretching things to label this a lesser 5 on 6, and without the existence of A20 & A21, I would agree. However, the arc in the tiara is so very like that of the ones in A20 & A21, that it more than likely originated at the same time and by the same process: over-rocking of the transfer roll. The fact that A11 is found directly above A21 also lends credence to this possibility. (Note: See some added new information at the bottom of the A11 listing.)
A11
^ Above is a gorgeous block of 6 containing the Lesser 5 on 6, A11, in the LL corner
^ Courtesy of Bill Coates ^
^ The single, A11, from the above block of 6.
^ Courtesy of Bill Coates ^
Fig. 6 ^
Above is a lovely single copy of A11, with a close-up shown below
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
*6
Scott #43
6¢ Red Brown
Lesser 5¢ on 6¢
Plate C, Position #100
The reasoning of arcs through the tiaras is also needed for the newest member of this group - the one located by Bill Burden, seen in Fig. 7. Here an arc, even heavier than that of A11, is seen crossing the tiara. This arc is in the highest position of any of those seen yet, but it is nevertheless there. Again, were it not for the existence of A20 & A21, we might attribute this curved arc to some other cause. However, it is highly suggestive of yet another lesser 5 on 6. Every position of Pane A was re-examined to see if this stamp was there and had been previously missed, but a careful examination of every position on the pane failed to turn up this stamp. While it was not noted during a close examination of the C Pane in the Canadian Postal Archives, it may well be that this position is on the late state of the B Pane, where the original strong 5 on 6 is located in B25, and where the other two strong versions may well exist. It was also noted that on all three copies of this fourth lesser, the top-centre lines of the U.L. corner ornament are broken, or weak. This feature can be found on many positions of the 6¢, but may help in eventually plating this piece. Copies of this stamp having a very wide left margin will also show a strong vertical guideline in the L.L. corner. (NEW INFO below...)
C100 (See new info below Fig. 7)
Fig. 7 ^
August 2005 - Plate Position for Fig. 7 has been determined.
David Eisenhauer recently submitted to the Green Foundation a lovely copy of the 6¢ with attached selvedge on the right side with a tiny arc through the tiara. On close examination of this stamp, seen below, I believe it is the same as our fourth ‘lesser’ above, Fig. 7. It has the same high arc and as can be seen from the scans, there are no marks in the hair. It also has the weak lines in the scroll in the upper left. The only thing missing is the strong vertical guideline in the lower left, but the margin here may not be quite wide enough to show it. From the extra-wide bottom margin, it is also obvious that this stamp is from position 100 on the sheet. On examination of photos I took back in 1990 of every plate position on the ‘C’ Pane in the Archives in Ottawa, I would say that this stamp is indeed from the ‘C’ Pane, as the photo shows the same tiny arc. Therefore, I believe it is safe to say that this previously unknown position can now be said to be C100. (See the scans below.)
C100 - The following 4 scans are courtesy of David Eisenhauer
Fig. 7a ^ The right selvedge and extremely wide bottom margin place this stamp in the lower right corner of the sheet, position 100.
Fig. 7b ^ Notice the sharp arc through the tiara
Fig. 7c ^ Note there are no marks in the hair
Fig. 7d ^ Note the tiny guide dot touching the corner ornament
^ Courtesy of David Eisenhauer ^
A second copy has now been found. Note the wide bottom margin on this one, as well.
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
I have added a nice mint block of four with C100 in the lower right corner, along with a close-up of the stamp itself. Too bad the corner selvedge has been removed.
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
So there you have it: THREE different plate positions showing strong 5 on 6s, and FOUR (now FIVE!) showing lesser 5 on 6s, on at least two different plates. And so the controversy continues!
I would like to thank and recognize Bill Simpson and Bill Burden for their contributions to this article.
end
Scott #43
6¢ Red Brown
Lesser 5¢ on 6¢
Plate C, Position #26
**Since the earlier original article was written in 1993, work has continued on this fascinating series of stamps. And indeed, yet another lesser 5 on 6 has shown up...This time it is on an already plated stamp, but originally, the tiny arc in the tiara was missed. It can now be included as the fifth lesser 5 on 6. It is from plate C, position 26 and had been previously noted for the two ‘dashes’ or ‘arcs’ in the lower right margin.
C26
Fig. 8 ^
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
Fig. 8a ^
Above is a lovely used block of 6 with C26 in the upper left corner of the block, with a close-up of the full stamp shown below. v
^ From the RETrimble Collection ^
Fig. 8b ^
Any further information on others of a similar nature, would be greatly appreciated.
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Ralph E. Trimble
Specialist in BNA Re-entries
[email protected]