It is believed that there are less than twenty examples known of this error. According to contemporary reports, thirteen of these stamps were acquired at the port of Wanhsien in July, 1924, by Dr. A. Germain, the medical officer on the French gunboat "Balny". He applied two of the stamps to separate covers which he mailed to himself locally and sold ten mint examples to the French dealer Theodore Champion.
This is acknowledged to be the only existing set of blocks of these major errors.
The Rarest of the Four Treasures of the Republic.
Only ten examples (seven unused and three used) of this error were originally reported discovered.
The "Red Ruby" ranks among the rarest stamps of China. One sheet was reportedly discovered by Adolphous Diercking at the Chungking Post Office (ref. Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe, 22.7.70, p. 25). All known examples, including two blocks of four, are unused from the same sheet.
Only one sheet of twenty was produced with the double surcharge, and Tony Kwan has documented and plated all twenty examples (19 unused and one used).
One of two recorded blocks of four.
Only one sheet of forty was produced with this variety, and Tony Kwan has accounted for 35 surviving examples, all of which are canceled to order by the "Customs/Shanghai" dater of "Mar 24 1897".
Current Sales
United States, British and Worldwide Stamps and Postal History
Closing September 22, 2024
The “Greenleaf” Collection of the Liberated Areas of the People’s Republic of China
October 12, 2024
“Tony To-Wah Kwan Empress Dowager Jubilee & Surcharged Issues International Large Gold Medal Collection
October 12-13, 2024
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Closing July 25, 2024
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Closing August 27-28, 2024
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On December 5, 2020, the world-record price for a Mongolian stamp collection was shattered, when a single lot from the well-known Malz Collection achieved nearly US $100,000. This is just one example of Kelleher’s successful global marketing strategy at work.
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