Canada Small Queen #37 3c Montreal And Ottawa Printings I.d.

Not 100% sure what your refering to by second ouside circle ( probably because it doesn't seem complete) but the closest measurement I can do horizontally from outside edge of outter frame lines in Canada postage is 16.5mm . Across the top from outside tip of left perf to outside tip of right perf I get dead on 20mm . I know simply counting the perfs should be right but is not totally accurate because of partials at either end. I did use plain old unitrade gauge and loop and it is larger than 12 and smaller that 12.5 horizontal .I don't have any calipers or gauges here at the house to be more accurate but that is close using a loop and metal ruler. The stamp does look narrow but definatly not reperfed

I perfed a couple of the known 37d's and they are dead on 12.5 all sides. Mine looks to be super close on vertical sides and not quite on horizontal. Below are 4 known copies of 37d (really nice ones at that) I'm not seeing any plate dots

This is what I mean about "outside circle"



Your last pair MUST have a dot on the right stamp to be a #37.

ooops -think I was using the standard instead of the metric side. Frame line to frame line I get 18.5mm +/- .5 for my eyeballs.

I know it is hard to measure Nitro, but 18.5 is too big for the circle. All mine measure 17.2 using calipers.

Soon as I have a free moment, I will post the template with the measurement I calibrate the scanned images with.

To me, and I am no expert nor have copies to compare to, all four look oxidized to some degree. Have you tried the peroxide on them? If it is not oxidized then no harm done.

Those 4 are from the guy that said he wouldn't trust any computer perfs. They are from auction sites I believe and if not mistaken the mint one sold at 3-4K -- I only wish I had those but again the no guide dot makes me wonder if there was a different plate used at the very begining as apparently all 12.5x12.5 had to come from early 1870 printings.

I did the mint one in AutoCAD and it is DEFINITELY 12.5 x 12.5, the scan matches my template without rescaling. However, the bottom perfs seem to slope up to the right - reperfing maybe?

I was using the mm ruler that comes on the edge of the metal unitrade perf gauge- measured several outside portrait ovals and all were over 18mm. Grabbed my cheap plastic dollar store ruler and 17.5ish is what I get. Figured the metal one would be better being its a stamp tool but goes to show just how far out these things can be compared to actual math. Something tells me they will eventually have to re write alot of catalog notations as computer aided tools become the norm in the industry.

If you ask me there seems to be perf issues with all of those auction house 37d's - Possibly the norm for that particular pefing machine but odd. I'm going to peroxide my questionable - Nothing to loose and if she pops vermillion I will park it as a 41 with a rare perf - be nice to know how rare.

I am getting 12.38 x 12.4 for the bottom pair. The cancel MY 20 / 70 indicates a 37, but is the cancel fully genuine? Dates were not suppose to be put on the stamp. Or is the 70 a 98, a larger year plug than the month and day??? No apparent dots is strange, as mentioned before...

Guys - you've got a convoy behind you here watching how this shakes out. I have to go out to supper but I will be checking in later this evening to see if you find a dot on the right-hand stamp of that pair or to see if the stamp has been washed with peroxide. Can hardly wait.

Remember Do Not use hydrogen peroxide with stamps with gum as you will lose the gum.

Well this is a case of be careful what you wish for. The peroxide bath did its job revealing a very faded (likely 41) and after the hinge reminent fell off the back shes not so pretty. Still a unique perf and possibly light enough to be faded orange red shade but no guide dot and more likely a faded vermillion. Initially was going to get this certified but now with the condition regardless of the perf I'm not thinking all that wise. Still a major question mark as to where this belongs with the rare perfs for either 37 or 41.

Good work Nitro. This stamp just continues the mystification of the small queens.

I am beginning to wonder on the signification of the perforations in the upper 12.3++