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Press Proofs of the Royal Philatelic Collection.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:55.00 USD Estimated At:110.00 - 160.00 USD
Press Proofs of the Royal Philatelic Collection.
Wonderful ensemble of eleven (of twelve) original, untrimmed press proofs of individual color plates of the stamp collection of King George V. Each 10 1/2 x16. Renowned even among non-philatelists for its 45 flat colors (some sources claim 53!), either number probably a record for an offset printing job. To avoid the aesthetic impurity of halftone dots, the shades were precisely matched using an array of exquisitely mixed transparent and opaque inks; each plate shows a color bar at top, its sometimes remarkably proximate hues combined to achieve glorious faithfulness to the original stamps. Including supreme rarities and philatelic treasures: four British Guianas, including the coveted magenta; Trinidad, Barbados, St. Vincent, Togo, and "Kamerun" overprints, Cape of Good Hope, 1854 India, Van Diemens Land, Mauritius, plates of original sketches of Queen Victoria for New South Wales issues, and others. The original book had 12 color and 60 black-and-white plates; published in 1952 by Viscount Kemsley at The Dropmore Press, Ltd., London, it was bound in full crushed levant niger morocco leather with the Royal arms in gilt, or in slipcased buckram. Such an enterprise, exhibiting the outermost limits of skill of lithographic camera work, pressmanship, ink chemists, and sheer numbers of passes, will almost certainly never be attempted again. The books now sell for up to 1,000.00. Trivial tip wear on a few, lovely uniform pale cream toning, else choice. Provenance: Ex-Gordon McHenry. (11 pcs.)