South Africa 1913 KGV ½d Doubly Printed: The Premier Showpiece!

1913-24 KGV ½d green DOUBLE PRINT (SG 3a). Superb M full OG example of this important rarity, being the second stamp of the recorded strip of 5 illustrated by Lobdell and Hagger et al. Of the affected stamps 1 & 2 have the most distinctive cleanly separated double print impressions. The premier exhibition showpiece of South Africa philately! Photo-cert: BPA. Ex Simenhoff & Sydow.
The double impression is believed to have been caused by the preceding sheet being slightly folded over when printed, thus allowing a small part of the impression to come onto the next sheet, which, escaping notice, was fully printed in turn. The double print extends for a little over half the first stamp on the left side, and gradually tapers down until the fifth stamp shows the double print only slightly in the top left corner. The strip was originally purchased at the Johannesburg Post Office in August 1919. The other four examples of the variety (showing between 20-70% of the impression doubled) were housed in the Rall, vd Kar, Naylor, Fine & Trotter collections which have since been dispersed.