(Proofs & Essays) 3¢ Red, Type I, Plate Proof on India, Brush Obliteration, 7.5 Rouletting, horizontal pair, margins to just touching, horizontal 7.5 gauge rouletting along bottom through "three cents", fresh and Very Fine; 1965 P.F. Certificate, 1995 Wilson Hulme authentification letter. Scott No. 11P3 var.  $2,000+. As part of an investigation into the feasibility of perforation, two sheets of 200 stamps (400 total) from Plate 4 in an 1856 color on India paper were printed. Brush stroke obliterations were added. One sheet of 200 went to W. M. Bemrose & Sons and the other 200 went to Perkins Bacon & Co., who was assisting Toppan Carpenter in purchasing the perforating wheels and overall size of the machine.Somewhere along the way, Bemrose ran their machine and attempted to roulette it. It is not clear why they did so, because the paper was too flimsy for such an operation. One of these lines of rouletting that went along the top margin of the left pane has been known for a number of years. However, there was a second line of rouletting about three quarters of the way down the sheet that was not reported. This pair belongs to that row. The "natural paper crease" as described on the original 1965 P.F. Certificate is actually a line of rouletting, gauging about 7.5 according to Wilson Hulme. Other copies have since been re-constructed showing this rouletting. $0 (Image)