Zululand 1894-96 6d Imperium Essay Imperf, Near Colours of 6d

1894-96 6d IMPERIUM ESSAY IMPERF IN NEAR ISSUED COLOURS OF THE 6d (dull mauve & black with shaded value tablet) on unwatermarked paper. F-VF, affixed to stampsize piece, rare. Vertical pairs were provided upon request by the Crown Agents 4.11.97: A single sheet of 6 (3 vertical pairs of each bicoloured combination) was made from manually inked plates. 20 different colour combinations are possible over the whole range of Colonies for whom these dies were used.