1888, small dragon 5 Ca. (5, vertical strip-3/one has two pulled perfs., plus pair on reverse) tied blue seal "Peking" to registered cover with blue "I.G. OF CUSTOMS PEKING FE (2)8 92" and large boxed blue "REGISTERED" alongside to cover in combination with French Offices 25 C. (pair) tied "SHANG-HAI 4 MARS 92" plus boxed red "R", also transit black part indistinct "(CUSTOMS) SHANGHAI MAR 3 92", to Berlin/Germany. Vermilion double circle french mail steamer "LIGNE N 8 MARS 93 No. 1" and delivery mark of Berlin 41 p.o. of April 10, 1892 and large boxed "V.". Magnificent cover. (Image)

1897 Red Revenue, small 2 cents surcharge in Black-Green (dark green), position 9, centered a bit to base just like the example from the Robert C.H. Lee collection, dot extremely misplaced, part original gum, no tears but oxidized, fine (Chan 84Ta). A remarkable example from the earliest trial printings. This is one of only 4 recorded copies so far. This black-green surcharge is known as the dark-green surcharge by Chinese specialists. There are two theories as to how this variety occurs. The most plausible theory is that there was one setting of twenty stamps which had a black surcharge applied directly over the green trial surcharge due to the surcharge plate not have
been properly cleaned. The resulting surcharge in black on green ink similarly heavy and smudged. The printing block needed thorough cleaning, and the theory that it was broken up to do this is reasonable. In that case the setting of the dark green surcharge would be the same, than that of the green trial print. According to a study of this stamp on Postal History Research, No. 24 (March 2007) by Mr. Wang Tong, there were at least two instances of the surcharge plate being insufficiently cleaned, thereby resulting in this phenomenon of a green-black surcharge. We know that the green setting was applied on the top two rows and it is logical to assume that the black on green was applied on the next two rows. The example of this surcharge matches that of the previous offered stamps at Matthew Bennett and Interasia in that it has heavier impression around the outside of the characters and hollow in the middle.
To date, there are only three properly documented examples of this exceptionally rare variety, which is listed in Chan catalogue as 84Ta: Pos. 4 H.B.R. Clarke (April 1953), Dr. Robert C.H. Lee (November 1963), Sun (Matthew Bennett, June 2001); Pos 15 Sir David Roseway (Robson Lowe, November 1963); Pos 11 (Interasia, December 2012), Provenance: this was the hidden treasury from family Schroeder, Mr. Karl E. Schroeder, one of the first German stamp dealers for Chinese Philately, found it in the sixties in an old german estate and kept this rarity secretly for decades! (Image)

1897 Red Revenue $5 on 3c large fig., fine unused, centering a bit to the left otherwise fine, a beautiful example with very good deep color and good perforation, it seems to have a small part original gum, which is very rare for the $5 because of their usage on remittance certificates. Signed on reverse. Chan 91. (Image)

1897, cents surcharges on Dowager, 4 Cts. large figures wide spaced 2 1/2 mm tied brown large dollar "CHUNGKI(NG) 14 OCT 98" to cover to treasurer of China Inland Mission, Shanghai with backstamp "SHANGHAI A LOCAL POST OC 24 98". Also on reverse, large senders mark, red oval "CHINA-INLAND MISSION. PAO-NING / W. CHINA 8/10/98", amazing (Chan 50). (Image)

1897, Surcharges on Dowager, Large Figures Wide spaced 2 1/2 mm on basic stamp 2nd printing, 8 C. on 6 Cdn. red brown, unused mounted mint (SG cat. £2000). (Image)

1898, card ICP 1 C. uprated coiling dragon 1 C., 2 C. tied bisected bilingual "YÜNNANFU 13 SEPT 04", transits lunar dater "Yunnan.Hsiakuan -.8.15", bisected bilingual "TENGYUEH 1 OCT 04", "SEA POST OFFICE A OC 15 (04) and arrival "STUTTGART", painting on reverse. Endorsed "via Birmanil", scarce southward routing from remote Yunnan. (Image)

1900 Red Revenue 2c on 3c smaller characters (Pos. 19) together with surcharge on small Dragons 2c - 5c (small figures full set) and Dowager 10c. on 12 Cand. all tied by oval "Kiautschou MAY 15 1900" on registered "Maus" redband Cover with German 5pf. and 25pf tied "Tsingtau 15/5 00" cds, sent from Kiaochow to J. Maus in Lichtenthal, Germany. Sender was M. Breitenfeldt, I.M.C., Inspector Customs, with wax seals and arrival mark on reverse, vf appearance (Image)

1897 Red Revenue 2c on 3c small fig., Pos. 7, surcharge inverted, oxidized, purple mark on reverse not apparent from the face, CSS Certificate 2005, part original gum, good color, Chan 84, ZurchAsia 03/2019 = 15.000 Euro (Image)

1912, the unique early express system usage of stationery card: square dragon 1 C light green. overprinted "China Republic" (issued March, 1912) postmarked boxed bilingual dater "NANKING CITY 1.9.12" (Sept. 12, 1912) to Shanghai with same day arrival and red octogonal messenger mark on reverse, then fwd. "SHANGHAI 1.9.13" to Hankow. Boxed bilingual "EXPRESS No." of Nanking.
This appears to be the first recorded express usage of a China stationery card from the 1906/16 early period, when the express postage was covered by the green express stamps kept extra and not pasted to the mails, and no postage stamps used.
Senders dateline on reverse is "Nanking, 12/9 1912, the private message in german language requests addressee to get price quotes for medical pills and certain goods like coffee at the "Schroeder & Voelkel" shop. Card shows gum and paper traces of removed postal forwarding resp. paper slips to be signed, which were integral part of the commercial usage.
- A new find, top grade exhibition item. (Image)

1878, large dragon thin paper 5 Ca. yellow-orange canc. customs dater "(NE)WCHANG.. 78" (Michel cat. 420.-). (Image)

1878/83, large dragons complete set: thin paper 3 Ca., 5 Ca., unused mounted mint; thicker paper 1 Ca., unused no gum, slight bend. (Image)

1882/85, Customs Small Dragon pair used on piece tied by Chinese Seal Marking, with Hong Kong 5c ultramarine wmk. Crown CA added for international rate, tied by cds "SHANGHAI NO 20 91". (Image)

1883, large dragon thicker paper 3 Ca. red canc. by blue seal
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1883, large dragon thicker paper 3 Ca. red, cancelled black seal.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1894, Dowager 1 Cand./12 Cand. unused mounted mint first mount light hinge LH, inc. the 9 Ca. with a second copy in a slightly different shade dark green shade. The 24 Cand. is used.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1894, dowager 24 Ca. carmine, clean used with full strike blue seal "Tientsin".
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, 1/2 C./1 Cand. lemon, large figures small spaced 1 /2 mm, a block of four each stamp canc. central strike brown "CUSTOMS NEWCHWANG AUG 20 97", attractive.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, dowager small figures wide spaced 3 mm, 10 C./9 Cd. dark green, mounted mint first mount VLH, very fresh appearance, crease.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, 10 C./9 Cand. dark green, large figure wide spaced, canc. large dollar "NINGPO 4 AUG 97" (Chan 53), Michel cat. 380.-.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, 10 C./9 Cd. light green, large figures wide spaced 2 1/2 mm, unused mounted mint.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, 10 C./12 Cd. yellow orange, large figures wide spaced 2 1/2 mm, unused mounted mint, fresh appearance.
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, Red Revenue, 1c and 2c large characters, both with faults caused by old hinges (stained), 1c MH and 2c used (Michel €750).
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)

1897, red revenue small 2 cents, unused mounted mint LH (Michel cat. 1000.-). (Image)

1897, Red Revenue 2/cents. canc. blue pa-kua (Michel cat. 300.-). (Image)

1897, red revenue large 4 C./3 C., unused mounted mint (Michel cat. 2500.-).
Value Add Taxes (19%) will be added to the hammer price and the buyers premium. (Image)