China, The Elephant Design (Unaccepted) : Imperforate plate proof of 5 cash black on thick wove paper [9] with 13mm. sheet margin at top, highly refined printing with perfect sharp impression, good to large margins, insignificant bend in sheet margin at top right, a very fine example of this primitive yet exquisitely engraved design which is highly evocative of the period. A rarity.
Estimate HK$ 300,000 - 400,000

References: Sir Percival David, "Sketches, Essays, and Proofs of China's First Issue," The London Philatelist, Vol. VIII, No. 676 (March, 1949), pp. 33-37.
Jeffrey S. Schneider, "Plating the Elephant Essay", Journal of China Philately, Vol. 1 (Qingdao, 2006), pp. 202-206.
Ji Sun, "The Elephant Issue Resurfaces After 100 Years", The China Clipper, Vol. 74, No. 6 (September, 2010), pp. 231-233.

The Elephant design for the 5 cash stamp was one of several different subjects submitted for the first postage stamp of China in 1877-1878. It depicted a ceremonial elephant carrying a pot of growing cycas on its back. These plants characterise perpetual change and constant regeneration, which are two of the fundamental philosophies of Buddhism. The two bats flying above the elephant are also of symbolic importance. The Chinese for bat is "fu", which is the same sound as the word for happiness, while sounds for the other symbols depicted have double meanings, all of which signify "an augury of great happiness equaling Heaven" (Sir Percival David, The London Philatelist, Vol. LVIII, No. 676, p. 34).

Apparently, this design merited serious consideration, since the production of this proposed stamp went through five separate stages.

M.D. Chow wrote about purchasing a strip of five from a London dealer who had taken it from a strip of ten. There was a strip of five from the top left corner of the sheet [1-5] in the Sir Percival David collection, which was subsequently split into two pairs and a single. Interestingly, all examples we have found appearing in auction over the past thirty years have sheet margins at the top. Therefore, one could hypothesize that these are from the London dealer's original strip of ten. We have been able to locate nine of the ten positions thus far.

Although John Luff stated that he had seen a complete sheet of one hundred, this has never been confirmed; however, Dr. Ji Sun recently found a complete sheet of one hundred on what appears to be a thick brownish (toned) meshed paper and is fairly well printed with a slightly less accomplished degree of fineness in the frame lines. According to Dr. Sun, this came from the estate of a well-known American collector, who began collecting in the thirties. From what plating is possible, the distinct characteristics of the plate positions and alignment of the clichés correspond to those positions in the sheet which are known. A paper comparison has not yet been made. Est. HK$300,000-400,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$300,000-400,000

China, Essay of Accepted Design with "Extra Circle" : Large Dragon 1ca. light yellow-green imperforate on thin wove gummed paper block of four [1-2/6-7] with 6mm. sheet margin at top and 9mm. sheet margin at left, faintest traces of rust on the gum, nevertheless very fine and a desirable multiple.
Estimate HK$ 100,000 - 120,000

Provenance: Richard Canman, Stanley Gibbons (London), 19.10.1972, lot 83
Philip Ireland, Christie's Robson Lowe (Zurich), 25.5.1989, lot 2029.

Only one complete sheet of twenty-five remains intact. There are four blocks of four recorded, two of which are from the top left corner of the sheet.

From our records of plated examples, we can ascertain that there were at least three sheets of this essay produced. Est. HK$100,000-120,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$100,000-120,000

China, Essay of Accepted Design with "Extra Circle" : Large Dragon 3ca. vermilion [23] imperforate proof on thin wove gummed paper with 11mm. sheet margin at foot, very fine.
Estimate HK$ 10,000 - 12,000

The largest recorded multiples of the 3 candarins essay on thin paper are blocks of four, of which only three have survived, in addition to three pairs. Using multiples and two marginal singles, we have reconstructed twenty-three of the twenty-five positions on the sheet. It appears that there were only two sheets printed on thin paper.

The 3 candarins was most probably the first value printed, which helps to explain the early experimentation with two different types of paper. Est. HK$10,000-12,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$10,000-12,000

China, Essay of Accepted Design with "Extra Circle" : Large Dragon 3ca. vermilion imperforate on thick paper, a complete sheet of twenty-five with full margins, sharp impression, bright colour, the lower row of stamps has slightly uneven printing due to misalignment of the blanket for the "make ready" as often occurred during the "proof" stages, cliché [22] shows extraneous printing ink on "N" of "Candarins", a few minute mainly marginal age spots of no consequence to the freshness of this extremely fine and desirable sheet, which is of the utmost rarity.
Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 600,000

Provenance: Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (Basel), 26.10.1970, lot 534
Giulio Mochi, David Feldman (Geneva), 24.10.1984, lot 40554
"Ming", Corinphila (Zurich), 29.9.1988, lot 4083
Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman, Sotheby's and Corinphila (Hong Kong), 7.11.1996, lot A31.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO SURVIVING INTACT SHEETS OF TWENTY-FIVE, OF WHICH THIS IS BY FAR THE FINEST. Est. HK$500,000-600,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$500,000-600,000

China, Essay of Accepted Design with "Extra Circle" : Large Dragon 5ca. brownish ochre imperforate on thin wove paper, two pairs [4-5] and [9-10] originally forming a block of four with 5mm. sheet margin at top and 8mm. sheet margin at right, showing characteristic printing "bite", remarkable colour, good to large margins, the top pair has minor rust on reverse and the lower pair has a light horizontal crease, otherwise very fine and a fantastic essay.
Estimate HK$ 250,000 - 300,000

Provenance: Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (Basel), 20.3.1975, lot 1009
Philip Ireland, Christie's Robson Lowe (Zurich), 25.5.1989, lot 2034
The lower pair is originally from the Gordon collection (Robson Lowe, 21.4.1964, lot 6).

WE RECORD TWO BLOCKS OF FOUR, TWO PAIRS AND FIVE SINGLES IN THIS EXTRAORDINARY COLOUR.

There seems to have been only one imperforate sheet produced in this distinctive colour, as no two identical matching clichés have been found to date. A second sheet in the same unmistakable colour with trial perforation 12½ on thick wove paper was in the Beckeman collection (see Interasia, 26.2.2011, lot 6) and has remained intact. Est. HK$250,000-300,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$250,000-300,000

China, Proofs : Large Dragon with Extra Circle removed 1ca. green imperforate on thin wove paper, Setting II, block of four [1-12/7-21] with 9mm. sheet margin at top and 7.5mm. sheet margin at left, showing characteristic offset printing on reverse, highly accomplished printing in a lovely delicate shade, extremely fine and fresh.
Estimate HK$ 150,000 - 200,000

Provenance: Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (London), 22.7.1970, lot 8
Giulio Mochi, David Feldman (Geneva), 24.10.1984, lot 40561
Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman, Sotheby's and Corinphila (Hong Kong), 7.11.1996, lot A5.

A BLOCK OF FOUR IS THE LARGEST KNOWN MULTIPLE, AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO SUCH BLOCKS RECORDED.

There was probably only one imperforate sheet of twenty-five in this colour printed from this Setting. Est. HK$150,000-200,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$150,000-200,000

China, Proofs : Large Dragon with Extra Circle removed 3ca. brown-red imperforate on thin wove ungummed paper, Setting III or IV, block of four [22-17/1-6] with 12mm. sheet margin at top and 8mm. sheet margin at left, cliché [22] shows broken top left corner, contrasting sharp to weak (underprinted) impressions of the clichés due to the poor registration of the printing plate, particularly dramatic in lower left stamp, very fine, a few negligible age spots in margin at top.
Estimate HK$ 150,000 - 200,000

Provenance: H.R. Harmer (New York), 20-23.2.1950, lot 740
Dr. Robert C.H. Lee, J.R. Hughes (San Francisco), 16.11.1963, lot 16
Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (Basel), 20.3.1975, lot 1014
Philip Ireland, Christie's Robson Lowe (Zurich), 25.5.1989, lot 2116.

This and the following lot comprise a noteworthy pair of matched corner blocks of four from Settings III or IV. Both blocks show the constant plate variety "broken top left corner" on cliché [22]. The progressive state of damage to the top left corner displayed by the two blocks suggests that the former is from Setting III and the latter is either from a later state of Setting III or early state from Setting IV. Est. HK$150,000-200,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$150,000-200,000

China, Proofs : Large Dragon with Extra Circle removed 3ca. pale brown-red imperforate on thin wove gummed paper, Setting III or IV, block of four [22-17/1-6] with 8mm. sheet margin at top and 7mm. sheet margin at left, the broken top left corner plate variety of cliché [22] now shows an advanced state of damage, suggesting that it might come from Setting IV, uneven impression particularly noticeable in right vertical pair, minute age spot in top right stamp, very fine.
Estimate HK$ 150,000 - 200,000

Provenance: E.H. Finegan, Harmer Rooke (London), 14.10.1937, lot 70
Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (London), 22.7.1970, lot 11
Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (Basel), 20.3.1975, lot 1013
Philip Ireland, Christie's Robson Lowe (Zurich), 25.5.1989, lot 2117.

This and the previous lot comprise a noteworthy pair of matched corner blocks of four from Settings III or IV. Both blocks show the constant plate variety "broken top left corner" on cliché [22]. The progressive state of damage to the top left corner displayed by the two blocks suggests that the former is from Setting III and the latter is either from a later state of Setting III or early state from Setting IV. Est. HK$150,000-200,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$150,000-200,000

China, Proofs : Large Dragon with Extra Circle removed 3ca. imperforate on opaque paper, Setting XIV, horizontal pair [15-26], centrally cancelled by Tientsin type 6 seal in blue, good margins all round, very fine and fresh, ranking among the rarest of all the proofs.
Estimate HK$ 150,000 - 200,000

Provenance: Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (London), 26.10.1970, lot 547
Paul Hock, Robson Lowe (Zurich), 19.10.1983, lot 82
"Ming", Corinphila (Zurich), 25.3.1987, lot 4767.

References: James B. Whang, ed. Whang's Illustrated Collection of the Large Dragons of China 1878-1885 (Taipei, 1993), p. 257.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO USED MULTIPLES RECORDED AND BOTH ARE FROM SETTING XIV - THIS PAIR AND A STRIP OF THREE [10-11-4].

According to contemporary sources, the imperforate proofs were sold concurrently with the issued perforated stamps over the post office counter in Tientsin. Est. HK$150,000-200,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$150,000-200,000