Lot 30023 – 1871, 100 mon dark steel-blue plate, earliest printing, vertical pair and single 24 mon vermilion on cover

1871, 100 mon dark steel-blue, plate 1, earliest printing, vertical pair from positions 5 & 13 and single from position 24, together with with 200 mon vermilion, plate 1, position 31 featuring retouched “Missing Arm”, all well margined, used on reverse of cover from Shizuoka (Suruga Province) to Yokohama, tied by large “Shizuoka Kensazumi” framed handstamp. Manuscript date 5th moon 8th day ( Gregorian 25 June 1871). The 500 mon rate corresponded to the first postal period, Meiji 4.3.1-4.12.4. A very appealing and scarce first-issue combination cover.Provenance: Maurice Burrus (Kanai Stamp Co., 12.10.1963, lot 89)Dr. Tani Takashi