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Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum
Blocs non dentelés avec gomme
Rare and hard-to-find, these Proofs are very rarely offered and not very well known. Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum replaced Deluxe Sheets starting with the last issue of 1991 (Scott 2271, Yvert 2735), which commemorated the Sesquicentennial of the Voluntary Attachment of Mayotte to France. The last Deluxe Sheet issued for France was for Scott 2270, Yvert 2734.
Deluxe Sheets and Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum have several similarities. Both measure 130mm x 100mm, and they have the name of the French government printing office “Imprimerie des TIMBRES-POSTE – FRANCE” in the lower right-hand corner. Both were historically reserved for top ranking government officials and for high level Post Office officials.
In addition to being printed on gummed paper, there are two main differences between Deluxe Sheets and Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum. The Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum are printed with a legend on one or two lines. For example, the 4,20F Marianne (Scott B662, Yvert 2915) has a two line description:
Tapisserie d’ Arras – XVe siècle
Saint Vaast
(Tapestry of Arras, 15th Century, Saint Vaast)
As a result, these Proofs are reminiscent of a non-issued Souvenir Sheet than that of a Proof. They are also printed directly from a rotary printing plate. In fact, only the middle of the plate is inked, which results in albino impressions of the stamp on the rest of the sheet.
Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum are very scarce!
Less than 130 copies of each were printed. They are listed in major French catalogues including Yvert (on pages 677 and 678 of the 2009 edition).
Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum are valuable!
None catalogue less than 100 Euros each in Yvert.
Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum are an important chapter of the Proof history of French stamps, lasting only eight years. The last Imperforate Deluxe Sheet with gum was issued at the end of 1998 (Scott 2690, Yvert 3120), commemorating the Centenary of the Discovery of Radium.
It is therefore wise to start or continue a collection of Imperforate Deluxe Sheets with gum with the aim of accumulating a complete collection is certainly a much more realistic goal than with other Proofs issued by France.
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