Dominican Republic - 1963 Vertical Imperf Pair (Scott 588)

Interesting find in Central American lot, wondering if anyone familiar with this. The stamp Sc 588 (Yv 601) is part of a Red Cross set, can be found both perf and imperf. Value is minimal perf, moderate imperf.

This vertically imperforate pair is perf 12.5 at top/bottom, same as the perf stamp. Found one similar for sale on Delcampe, refers to this as an essay (asking 150 Euros). That's the only reference I've found to date.

Any Latin American experts to shed more light on this? Pic below.

Thanks! Greg

I have no expertise in Dominican Republic, but I find it strange that an "essay" is part-perforated. They are usually imperforate. Smacks of lazy description by the seller? I must say, though, that the horizontal perforations look quite rough. Are the stamps locally printed and perforated?

Yes, the essay description seems suspect to me too - that description (and price) may be aspirational... Re the stamps, believe they were locally done, but not sure. In any case, the perfs match a fully perforated copy I have of the stamp.