Great Britain 1840 1d Rainbow trial (State 2), SGDP20.
A very fine unused four margin imperforate example printed in deep red-brown on thin white wove paper, showing "Tiny dash" in S.E. corner square indicative of state two.
A scarce specialised philatelic item of early GB postal history.
These trials were produced to test various combinations of stamp and cancellation ink.
It has long been considered that the voiding of the corners was achieved by filling the grooves of the plate with wax. However, recent research has brought this assumption into question. It is believed that the wax could not have withstood the immense pressure and would not have given a consistent result. To date, the exact method employed has not been determined, but is believed to either have been using a harder filling substance or the area being completely ground away.
GB Specialised catalogue No: DP20 (State 2).
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