1968 “Whole Country is Red” 8 fen Workers, Peasants, Soldier and Map of China, a pristine mint never hinged example of the iconic stamp of the Cultural Revolution.
When issued in Beijing on 25 November 1968, it was discovered that there were geographical anomalies in the map of China, such as the omission of the Archipelagos of Xisha and Nanshi, and the entire issue was withdrawn. However, a few post offices had been selling the stamps before the official date of issue.

1968 “Great Victory of the Cultural Revolution” prepared but not issued 8 fen Chairman Mao and Lin Bin Piao appearing before a Victory celebration in the countryside, a magnificent mint never hinged example from the top right corner of the sheet.
One of the rarest stamps of the Cultural Revolution, the few examples available are thanks to the post office in Hebei, which sold the stamp before the officially anticipated date of issue. Upon the issue's subsequent cancellation, the entire supply of stamps was returned to Beijing.

1980 “Year of the Monkey” 8 fen, a complete post office fresh mint sheet of eighty.
This was the first “New Year” stamp issued by the People’s Republic. With a print run of less than 5,000,000, most examples were sold on a limited basis by the post offices in China and to new issue collectors overseas. Therefore, the number of surviving complete sheets is relatively low.

Worldwide A-Z

• People's Republic of China Lots (3001-3003)