GB QUEEN VICTORIA 1840 2d Blue SG 5, Pl.1, S-C, 4 Margins, Used

GB QUEEN VICTORIA 1840 2d Two Pence Blue SG 5, Plate 1, which was issued alongside the famous Penny Black.

Issue Date: May 1840.

Design Feature: It is an imperforate stamp (meaning it had to be cut from the sheet by hand with scissors and completely lacks the horizontal white lines above "TWO PENCE" and below "POSTAGE". This lack of white lines uniquely isolates it to concrete SG number and either Plate 1 or Plate 2 from the original 1840 printing.

Plate 1: The key distinction for Plate 1 on 2d Blues is a characteristic weak or faintly printed left-hand outer Frameline, visible running down the left side of this stamp.

The letters in the lower square boxes were punched individually by hand into the master printing plate using steel hand-punches to prevent counterfeiting.

Left Letter "S": Indicates the 19th Row of the sheet (S is the 19th letter of the alphabet used; the rows run A to T).

Right Letter "C": Indicates the 3rd Column of the sheet (Columns run A to L).

Position: This exact stamp occupied Sheet Position 219 out of 240 total positions on the full printing pane.

Shifted Letters (S and C): Because individual artisans used hand-punches to stamp the letters into the copper/steel plates before printing began, letter placement varies wildly across positions. The "S" being hammered too far down and left, and the "C" sitting notably high in its box, is a classic plating marker used by philatelists to authenticate position SC from Plate 1. It is a production variation rather than an error.

"TWO" and "PENCE" Letter Flaws: The missing portion at the top of the "P" and the distorted last "E" in "PENCE" are typical of a worn plate or uneven ink transfer during production. Because Plate 1 was heavily utilized and the line-engravings were shallow, finer details in the text often broke away or failed to catch the heavy ink. properly.

A standard 1840 2d Blue carries a premium catalogue value because only roughly 6.4 million were printed, making them much rarer than Penny Blacks. However, market value heavily depends on condition and margins:

A perfect stamp catalogue values at roughly £975 to £1,200.

Realistically trades between £100 and £180.

Margins: The stamp still have 4 clear margins showing the white paper all around.

Cancellation: It bears a heavy black numeral cancellation 466 which was used by Liverpool Post Office. While a clean, distinct cross is highly desirable, this cancellation is quite heavy and dark, obscuring a significant portion of Queen Victoria's face and profile, which detracts slightly from the aesthetic value.