English (British Kennel Club) Collies still look a bit different from the
American (AKC) ones, they tend to be a little smaller size over all with a
lighter build, the head shorter with more width at the ears and stop, but
nowadays they are *very* heavily coated as adults (puppy coat would be much
shorter of course).  It's possible in this case that "English Collie" was
just being used in place of "English Shepherd."   But who knows!   Maybe
there was an ancestor that was a Collie brought over from England.

There are some sable collies that are very clear with very little black, but
the black will be there somewhere even if only a few dark hairs at the
shoulder or the spot toward the top of the tail.  This color is usually
associated with a dog that is genetically "pure for sable," that is, it
doesn't carry the gene for tricolor (black/tan).  Some of them can be hard to
distinguish from the "clear sable" of the ES type, without a close look.  The
ES "clear sable" isn't really sable, but the "Golden Retriever" color that
may have a black nose, but no black hairs on the body.

Linda R.
Pacifica, CA