Lot no. 399

1936, Päts 4 S., imprimatur proofs, strip of 5, signed by Gustav Jallas and seal as Director of the Estonian Postal Service, dated September 24, 1936. The date here (Sept.24, 1936) is the "imprimatur date", the date on which a separately printed sheet of proofs was approved for printing as postage stamps. This imprimatur date here is about 5 months after the "printing order date" (April 29, 1936, printed on the margin in the subsequent lot), which is the date on which the initial printing request was placed with the State Printing Office. The imprimatur proofs were made in a separate printing for the imprimatur/approval by Jallajas, before the printing of the postage stamps. Bottom margin 24mm wide (postage stamps: 27mm). Unusual register cross, two outer stamps unused, otherwise never hinged, a unique and beautiful item, tiny tear in margin, very fine (Hurt/Ojaste G:1) The printing order numbers are currently the only way to distingish between the various printings of the Päts issue! The lots with the 4 S. Päts were placed first in the auction sequence because the 4 S. Päts was the first Estonian postage stamp with a printed printing order number (Weiner, No.1,  p.105).