GB QUEEN VICTORIA 1841, 2d DEEP FULL BLUE, SG 14, Plate 3, 4 MARGIN, S-K, Used

Stanley Gibbons Number (SG#): SG 14, Plate 3, the famous 2d Blue stamp!

Plate Number: Plate 3. This is determined because the stamp is imperforate (has no ridges/perforations) and lacks the white horizontal lines above "TWO PENCE" and below "POSTAGE". White lines were only added to later plates starting in 1841.

Like the Penny Black, the sheet was arranged in an alphanumeric matrix of 20 rows and 12 columns. The lower corner check letters correspond directly to its location on the original printed sheet:

Letters: S - K (Visible in the bottom left and right corner squares).

Row: Row 17 (The letter 'S' is the 19th letter of the alphabet, but 'J' was omitted from the sheet matrix to avoid confusion with 'I', making 'S' the 18th used letter row).

Column: Column 11 (The letter 'K' is the 11th letter of the alphabet).

Margins: This stamp possesses 4 clear margins (the white border completely frames the blue design without cutting into the frame line). Having all four margins intact is highly desirable for line-engraved classic stamps.

Cancellation: It features a dark cancellation applied via a Maltese Cross obliterator. The cancellation to be struck in black ink.

Errors/Varieties: There are no glaring printing errors on this plate position, like ray flaws or others.

Catalogue Value: The official Stanley Gibbons catalogue price for a standard used 1840 2d Blue with four margins typically sits around £975 to £1,000+ depending on the exact colour shade variant. In the retail/auction market (such as verified sales on eBay UK), copies with four margins and a black Maltese cross cancel usually sell between £250 and £450. If the cancellation blocks the portrait significantly, the price tends to lean toward the lower end of that range, while cleaner face profiles command a premium.

Plate 1, Position S-K (Row 17, Column 11), specific flaws or marks differentiate it from position variations on other rows.

The Corner Letters: Notice the alignment of the letters inside the bottom blocks. On this stamp, the 'S' in the left corner is set relatively low and slightly shifted to the left within its square. The 'K' in the right corner is reasonably well-centred vertically but leans slightly toward the right-hand frame border.

The S-K Position Guide Dot: In the original line-engraving process, engravers used tiny guide dots to align the layout. For the 11th column ('K' column) on Plate 1, a small guide dot is typically present in the upper-right corner square. If you examine the star ornament block in the upper right, look closely at the white margins or background intersection surrounding the star rays; a tiny ink speck outside the star design is the signature alignment dot.

Ray Flaws: Position S-K shows intact top corner stars, though the black Maltese Cross cancellation heavily masks the left side.