China 1904 10c deep green Postage Due error, SGD142a

China 1904 (16 Mar) 10c deep green vertical pair, with error IMPERFORATE BETWEEN, Postage Due error, SGD142a.

A very fine cancelled to order used example by Peking circular date stamp for 10 Mar 05, with much of the original gum remaining. Most certainly one of the finest quality used examples in existence.

A very rare error of which less than 20 originally existed.

The provisional issue of 1904 was the first Chinese Postage Due series. Prior to this issue, letters sent with insufficient franking were marked as such and forwarded for delivery with the receiver of the letter being required to pay the extra postage charge due.

These Postage Due stamps first became a requirement in China when as they joined the Universal Postal Union.

The Chinese postal administration ordered postage due stamps to be printed by Waterlow  & Sons of London, England. In the interim before the postage due stamps arrived, postal officials overprinted six values of the 1902-07 series of Coiling Dragon stamps on unwatermarked paper.

The stamps were overprinted “Postage Due” in English above the Chinese two-character equivalent.

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