For stamp lovers, rare postage stamps are always a goal as their value increases every year. Chinese brands are among the most famous, rare and valuable in the world. Throughout its history, China has produced an enormous amount of interesting, charming philately. Some of these stamps are very rare today and can bring a fortune to lucky collectors. We would like to present you with a list of 10 rare and valuable Chinese stamps, and anyone interested in philately should know them.
So, here are the most valuable Chinese brands:
1. "The whole country is red", 1968
$1,150,000
"The Whole Country is Red" is a valuable Chinese brand issued in 1968. It has this name in connection with the slogan on it. The stamp depicts Mao's huge political revolution that communism imposed on Chinese society. The brand reinforced this idea with the proclamation of the phrase: "The whole country is red." It had an army of smiling Chinese citizens holding Mao Tse-tung's Quotation Book, a symbol of communism. Although the overall design of the philatelic specimen was red, the small island of Taiwan on the right remained white. This is why this brand is so expensive - it has a design error! One day an oversight was noticed and it was immediately withdrawn from the market. It is not known how many of these erroneous stamps remain, but they are certainly extremely rare. One of the "Whole Country is Red" designs brought in approximately $ 1.15 million in revenue on May 21, 2012, at an auction in Beijing.
2. "Red Revenue Stamp"
$900,000
The "Red Revenue Stamp" is widely known as one of the rarest stamps in China. Only 32 were produced, and they remain to this day. The stamps were printed during a historically significant period of time. They were issued under the Qing Dynasty when they converted the Chinese currency into dollars. The stamp was made with a dollar imprint to serve as a reminder of the event.
Due to some error, the dollar was printed too small and was later replaced with a large image. The stamp with the smaller footprint is very valuable today and was recently sold for $ 900,000 at auction.
3. "Queen Victoria's Olive Head", 1864
$824,648
Queen Victoria's Olive Head was released in 1864 with a face value of 96 Hong Kong cents. Today this interesting philatelic property is considered one of the most expensive Chinese stamps. The original issue was printed in a brownish gray tone. But by some mistake, 52 of the total were printed in olive color. The watermark was incorrectly styled, so the word "SS" was printed in the wrong place. Today in the world you can find only 40 pieces of "Queen Victoria's Olive Head", but there is only one block of four such brands. It was auctioned off for $ 824,648, setting a record in the history of Hong Kong vintage auctions. The auction was organized by Spink in January 2012.
4. "Inverted Sun Yat-sen"
$707,000
Inverted Sun Yat-sen stamps depict Sun Yat-sen, who is considered the Chinese "father of the nation". They were issued in 1941, but only one sheet of fifty "turned over" the portraits. Today there are only two known pairs of erroneous stamps, and this fact makes them so valuable in the eyes of collectors. One "Inverted Sun Yat-sen" of the pair brought in $ 707,000 in revenue at the auction.
5. "Big Dragon"
$499,000
"Big Dragon" is probably the very first Chinese brand. It was introduced in 1878 when the modern Chinese post office was founded. With this post office, letters were delivered only to ordinary people. Before that, correspondence was only possible in the army. Three stamps were issued, which are collectively known as the "big dragon". Dragons of different colors represented different values, including 1, 3 and 5. Once called "the most expensive Chinese stamps in the Western Hemisphere," the "dragons" were sold in 1991 at Sotheby's in London to a Hong Kong philatelist for $ 499,000.
6. "Red maiden in a green robe"
$444,447
Also known as the "Red Revenue Stamp" 2 cent small figure in green, "Red Maiden in Green Robe" is considered one of the most interesting Chinese philatelic articles. The stamp was issued during the Qing Dynasty. Since this was the time of currency reforms, stamps with a face value in silver could no longer be printed and issued. That is why a "temporary" stamp was developed - the "Red Revenue Stamp" was imprinted with green ink. Philatelists and historians claim that only nine such stamps remained undestroyed. In December 2004, one of them was sold for $ 444,447 in Hong Kong.
7. "Blue military stamp"
$430,000
The Military Blue Stamp was designed and issued for soldiers on active duty so they could use it to send letters. Soon after the stamps began issuing, authorities noticed slightly translucent paper, which could pose a risk of confidential information leakage. Subsequently, all original stamps were destroyed by order, and only a small part that was in use survived. Some of them still survive to this day. The Military Blue Mark was auctioned in 2011 for $ 430,000.
8. "Inverted" Chinese Classics of 1915 "
$250,000
The reversed 1915 Chinese Classics is a great example of a rare and valuable Chinese stamp. The Hall of Classics stamp is part of a long set, first seen as the London stamp of 1913. The small characteristics of the various stamps are what distinguishes them otherwise with identical designs. The London stamp of 1913 was followed by the first Peking stamp in 1915, resulting in a mistake that is now very valuable and rare, with only about 30 known today, one of which sold for $ 250,000 at Cherristone.
9. "Red Monkey", 1980
$184,000
1980 "Red Monkey" is the most popular brand in China. It was released to celebrate the year of the golden monkey, 1980. With an expressive red background, this piece has changed the traditional design of all Chinese brands. She also showcases a colored monkey with a surprised look! With its cute design, 1980's "Red Monkey" became one of the most popular philatelic accessories and retains this status today. However, its unique design makes it a must-have for any philatelist. The Red Monkey set sold for a record $ 184,000 at an auction in Hong Kong in 2011.
10. "Theatrical masks of the Peking Opera"
$125,000
Rarities of the People's Republic of China include a number of stamps that, for one reason or another, were prepared, but not issued, and have survived only in tiny quantities. On one such occasion, there was a set of eight Peking Opera Theater Masks, printed in 1964. They are quite rare and currently retail for a minimum of $ 125,000.
So, this was a list of the ten rarest brands in China. Each postage stamp tells a story about its culture, political position, or an outstanding event of its time. At the moment, the value of Chinese stamps is on the rise, making collecting more exciting. As you can see, Chinese stamps are wonderful things to collect or invest in.
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If you're wondering which postage stamps were the most expensive and which 10 of them paid the most money at auctions, watch our video!
