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The Red Revenues () are
In January 1896, Censor Chen Pi of the Qing government petitioned the
Of the overprinted denominations, the $1 was made first. Because of complaints that the size of the overprinted
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
Chinese revenue stamp
A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...
s that were overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a Postage stamp, postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or Ticket (admission), ticket after it has been Printing, printed. Post offices most often use ...
ed (surcharged) to be used as postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...
s in 1897. Their limited number, fine design and the intaglio process made the stamps in this series some of the most sought-after in the world.Woo, L.Y. (吳樂園) (1983). Taipei: ''Overprinted Red Revenue Stamp Collection'' (紅印花加蓋郵票專集)Ministry of Transportation Post Office (1984). Taipei: ''Red Revenue stamps, Part I'' of 2 (紅印花郵票上編)
There are several varieties of Red Revenue stamps, with the "Small One Dollar" being the rarest and most valuable. It has been called "China's rarest regularly issued stamp". In a 2013 Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
auction, a single stamp was sold for HK$6.9 million. Another was sold in a 2013 Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
auction for 7.22 million yuan. A block of four, considered the "crown jewel" of Chinese philately, was reportedly sold in 2009, together with a different stamp, for 120 million yuan (US$18.8 million).
History
In January 1896, Censor Chen Pi of the Qing government petitioned the Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, w ...
to issue revenue stamp
A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...
s. The proof was submitted to Sir Robert Hart
Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet, (20 February 1835 – 20 September 1911) was a British diplomat and official in the Qing Chinese government, serving as the second Inspector-General of China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service (IMCS) from 1863 to ...
, the Inspector General of Customs, for approval. Of the revenue stamps ordered from England, only a portion of the 3¢ stamps was printed and shipped to China. They were stored in the Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
Customs Department. The 3¢ red revenue stamps were printed by Waterlow & Sons in London. The red symbolizes good luck and fortune in Chinese tradition.
On March 20, 1896, the Qing government approved the plan to establish a national postal service, under the supervision of the Customs Department. At the inauguration of the postal service in February 1897, the Coiling Dragon stamps ordered from Japan failed to arrive on time, hence the idling 3¢ red revenue stamps were overprinted to meet demand. There are five overprinted denominations: 1¢, 2¢, 4¢, $1 and $5.
Small One Dollar
Of the overprinted denominations, the $1 was made first. Because of complaints that the size of the overprinted Chinese characters
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...
was too small, only two panes (each with 25 stamps) were made before they were changed to larger characters. Owing to their rarity, the "Small One Dollar" stamps have become some of the most valuable stamps in the world. Only 32 are known to exist.
The crown jewel of the 32 surviving "Small One Dollar" stamps is the block of four, originally owned by R. A. de Villard who took it directly from the customs where he worked. M. D. Chow bought it from Villard's widow in 1927 for CN$3,500.Huang, Guangcheng (黃光城). Taiwan: The Return of the Block of Four (紅印花小壹圓票繽紛錄之二：今年最震撼國人郵壇大事-華郵瑰寶小壹圓四方連孤品重返東半球始末). Today's Post (今日郵政). May 16, 1982, (293): 6–7. It was sold to Allan Gokson () in 1947 for US$20,000,Ma Ren-Chuen (1947). Shanghai: ''Ma's Illustrated Catalogue of the Stamps of China'', 50. and Hong Kong banker and philatelist Lam Manyin () bought it from Gokson's estate in 1982 for US$280,000. Shanghai real estate magnate Ding Jingsong () reportedly bought it from Lam in 2009, together with a Large Dragon stamp, for 120 million yuan (US$18.8 million).
References
External links
*{{Commons category-inline, Red Revenues Postage stamps of China 1897 in China 1897 works Revenue stamps