The Small Queens

Gum

Of use only on mint stamps this is of no help at all for the majority of Small Queens which will be found used. The gum used at Ottawa 1870-1873 was thin, dull, smooth and with particles of foreign matter in it. From 1873 when printing was moved to Montreal until 1878, the gum used was brownish and streaky, but was replaced by a smooth shiny somewhat yellowish gum used until the final move to Ottawa when again it was replaced, this time by a smooth thick brownish gum arabic.