1871 48m brown, 100m blue, 200m vermilion and 500m blue green, four different, Plate I, unused without gum as issued, 100m slightly thin at top, margins all around, fresh colors, fine-v.f., cat. $1375 (Cat No. 1-4) (Image)

Cat. $1375, Est.US$500

1871 48m red brown, Plate I, also on wove paper, 48m brown Plate II, also on wove paper, four different, unused without gum as issued, margins all around, good colors, v.f., seldom offered as a unit, cat. $1400 (Cat No. 1a,1b,1c,1d) (Image)

Cat. $1400, Est.US$500

1871 100m blue, Plate I, laid pair, faint postmark, large margins all around, v.f., with 1976 ISJP certificate, cat. $225 (Cat No. 2) (Image)

Cat. $225, Est.US$200

1871 100m blue, Plate I, laid paper, also on wove paper, two different unused without gum as issued, margins all around, good colors, fine-v.f., cat. $575 (Cat No. 2,2a) (Image)

Cat. $575, Est.US$200

1871 200m vermilion, wove paper, Plate I, unused without gum as issued, v.f., with ISJP certificate, cat. $500 (Cat No. 3a) (Image)

Cat. $500, Est.US$200

1873 4s rose, Type I, government printing, native wove paper, unused without gum, fresh and v.f., with 2002 Eichhorn card opinion, cat. $210 (Cat No. 14a) (Image)

Cat. $210, Est.US$100

1874 6s violet brown, foreign wove paper, Syllabic "17" ("re"), h.r., well centered, fine, signed Tyler, with 2002 ISJP certificate (JSCA 32) cat. $225 (Cat No. 36var) (Image)

Cat. $225, Est.US$100

1874 45s lake, Syllabic 3, unused with large part original gum, some album page adhesions, well centered, fine, cat. $1200 (Cat No. 50var) (Image)

Cat. $1200, Est.US$300

1875 4s dark gray green, unused with original gum, h.r., well centered, v.f., with 2010 ISJP certificate, cat. $375 (Cat No. 52) (Image)

Cat. $375, Est.US$150

1937 Empress Jingo, 5y gray green and 10y dull violet, l.h., 10y with tiny natural inclusion, v.f. (Sakura 211-12, 190,000 Yen) cat. $950 (Cat No. 253-254) (Image)

Cat. $950, Est.US$300

1937 10y Empress Jingo, n.h., perfectly centered, v.f. (catalogued as hinged) cat. $550 (Cat No. 254) (Image)

Cat. $550, Est.US$300

1919 1 1/2s and 3s set of two sheet margin singles, n.h., well centered, v.f., handstamped "MSC" on back (Sakura C22-23, 270,000 Yen) (catalogued as hinged) cat. $1300 (Cat No. C1-2) (Image)

Cat. $1300, Est.US$500

1934 Communication souvenir sheet of four, n.h. and post office fresh, v.f. (Sakura C56, 320,000 Yen) cat. $2000 (Cat No. C8) (Image)

Cat. $2000, Est.US$750

1934 Communication souvenir sheet of four, n.h., post office fresh, v.f., cat. $2000 (Cat No. C8) (Image)

Cat. $2000, Est.US$750

1877 (30 Dec) cover from Tokyo, franked with horizontal pair of 5s brown Koban, canceled by small flower pmk in green, supported by "Tokei Japan 30 Dec 1877", with red Yokohama Paid All Dec.31 alongside, addressed to Chicago, USA, with red San Francisco transit and Chicago Jan 23, 1878 arrival pmks on back, little cover wear, otherwise fine. This cover was carried on "The City of Tokyo" of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. sailing from Yokohama on December 31, 1877, arriving in San Francisco on Jan 17, 1878. The "Tokei" dispatch postmark in green was used only a short time, this cover being the earliest known Tokei large single circle (Cat No. 59) (Image)

Est.US$750

1878 (18 Sep) cover to Paris, France, franked with pair of 10s blue Old Koban, canceled by Tokyo Intaglio cross pmks, also by green segmented cork, with corresponding green "Tokei Japan 18 Sep" pmk, violet Yokohama Sep 22, 1878 alongside and French "Etats-Unis P.Angl. Paris" (30 Oct) blue entry marking below, showing native departure and San Francisco transits on back, some cover tears at left, otherwise fine and remarkable green Tokei cover (Cat No. 59) (Image)

Est.US$1,000

1879 (10 Jan) cover franked to Paris, France, with green "Tokei Japan 10 Jan" pmk, violet Yokohama Jan 12, 1879 alongside, franked on back with single and block of four of 4s green, each stamp canceled by flower cork cancels (of Tokei), showing a native departure strike, with French "Etats-Unis" Paq.Fr. Entry (17 Feb) on front, fine and interesting application of this rare postmark (Cat No. 59) (Image)

Est.US$250

1879 (2 Sep) cover franked with 5s brown Koban, canceled by green cork pmk, supported by "Tokei Japan 2 Sep", with Yokohama Sep 3, 1879 transit alongside, addressed to USA, with red San Francisco Sep 20, 1879 on back, some toning, otherwise fine example of this rare postmark (Cat No. 59) (Image)

Est.US$500

1882 (28 Feb) cover franked with 5s brown Koban, canceled by segmented black cork pmk, supported by Yokohama cds alongside, addressed to Commissaire de la "Corvette Italienne Vettor Pisani", with Nagasaki in red crayon and showing arrival "Nagasaki Japan" on back, interesting combination of local and foreign mail cds. Internal rate was only 2s, this cover franked with 5s, in case the corvette sailed on to Shanghai ("Vettor Pisani" was an Italian naval corvette that left Italy in 1882 for a three-year voyage round the world) (Cat No. 59) (Image)

Est.US$750

1885 (20 Jan) registered cover from Yokohama to Halifax, Canada, franked with 2x10sen blue Old Koban (JSCA 85), one defective, tied by foreign mail crossroads cancels, endorsed "per City of Rio de Janeiro" at top, circular "Registered Yokohama Jan 20" and additional straight line Registered and framed "R" in violet, all on front, with San Francisco, Boston and St. John's transit and arrival pmks on back, fine cover, stated to be the earliest known usage of the "Registered Yokohama" postmark (Cat No. 62) (Image)

Est.US$500

1875 (July) outer FL from Yokohama to Shanghai, franked with 6s orange, Syll.11. tied by segmented cork cancel, with red July 31 "Paid All" departure pmk alongside, endorsed "Pr Nevada", with blue "Shanghai Local Post Aug 6, 75" arrival pmk on back, fine (Cat No. 43) (Image)

Est.US$2,500

1878 (11 Dec) cover (opened for display and slightly reduced on back), franked with 5s brown marginal example, canceled by circle of wedges pmk and sent to Shanghai, with red Yokohama Japan departure pmk alongside, showing I.J. Postal Agency Shanghai Meiji arrival, with Shanghai Local Post Dec 19 in blue, fine (Cat No. 59) (Image)

Est.US$250

1879 (29 Dec) 2s stationery card from Nagasaki to Shanghai, with arrival Shanghai I.J.P.A. (Jan 2) and blue Shanghai Local Post 1880 at bottom, fine (Image)

Est.US$150

1881 (19 Jan) cover from Tokyo to Shanghai, franked with 2s dark violet, bottom margin imprint pair, used in combination with 1s maroon (JSDA 48,50), canceled by circle of wedges handstamp, with bold Tokyo, Japan 19 Jan origin cds at left, showing arrival "I.J. Postal Agency Shanghai Jan 27" arrival pmk on back, minor cover nicks at left, otherwise fine (Cat No. 68,69) (Image)

Est.US$500

1883 (30 Aug) cover, franked with 5s ultramarine, straight edge at bottom, canceled by circle of wedges pmk and sent to Shanghai, with Nagasaki departure pmk alongside, showing I.J. Postal Agency Shanghai 1 Sep Meiji arrival on back, cover tears at top, otherwise fine (Cat No. 74) (Image)

Est.US$150