1/9d SG766 gold (queen's head) omitted and missing phosphor bands, listed in the SG Concise catalogue as SG766Eya. A complete lower left hand corner marginal block of 6 stamps with cylinder markings in the margin, extending in the selvedge to the fourth row up. A completely normal block of eight stamps from the same sheet position confirms the complete omission of the gold printing cylinder marking in the selvedge. Our resident GB expert has examined this item extensively, including under ultra violet light and confirms the phosphor band omission. For GB errors we also have the Pierron missing colour books to refer to. The notes there confirm this to be a unique piece. According to the records they have, there are just 7 examples of this stamp known to them. At the last publication date this comprised just one mint and 6 used copies. The single mint copy known did not appear until 2004, some 36 years after issue! Clearly this block is unique given the current known existence of just the one other mint copy, which has a catalogue valuation of £3,500 on it's own. For a multiple of a scarce error and more importantly a positional proving piece, the catalogue value would be considerably more than the implied basic value of £21,000 (6 x £3,500) . A unique item in British philately.
