St. Louis, Missouri, 5c Black on Gray Lilac (11X4). Type III, Position 5, large margins to just touched along frameline in two places, neat penstroke cancel, light vertical creases, tiny tear at top left

FINE APPEARANCE. THE 5-CENT ON GRAY LILAC PAPER IS ONE OF THE RAREST OF THE ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONALS.

The layout of the plate was altered just before the paper was changed from Greenish to Gray Lilac paper. The original layout contained three 5c stamps at left and three 10c stamps at right. The plate was altered, and the top two 5c stamps were converted to 20c stamps. Only one position, the bottom left position of the plate, yielded 5c stamps. The new plate layout, combined with limited production from the altered plate before it was converted back again to its original format, accounts for the rarity of the 5c on Gray Lilac paper.

This stamp was offered in the 1953 Heiman and 1955 Fifield sales as Scott 11X4. Ex Geisler

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