China 1897 "Imperial Customs Post' Tokyo printing SG106

China 1897 "Imperial Customs Post' Tokyo printing $2 orange and yellow, SG106.

A fine mint example of this very scarce stamp with fresh colour. A couple of slightly short perforations with traces of original gum.

This classic stamp issue from 1897 depicts a wild goose (or Bean Goose). The bean goose was an important motif in Chinese poetry symbolising “bearing a message of love from afar”.
 
It is an apt and appealing symbol for this Qing Dynasty stamp. It reminds us of one of the wonderful uses of letter writing and the prepaid postal system which facilitate distribution - spreading messages of love.
 
This issue is from the first and rarer printing, lithographed in Japan. The paper used for these stamps shows a watermark in the form of a yin-yang symbol.
 
Mint examples are very scarce, particularly with such fresh colour. The few slightly short perforations do not detract from the quality of this stamp, which easily secures the quality grade “fine”.

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