Lot 30069 – 1871, 500 mon dark blue green plate 2 pos. 35, on cover

THE RAREST “DRAGON” STAMP ON COVER1871, 500 mon dark blue green, plate 2, position 35, a very fine example with a considerably strong impression and very good margins with part of frame line of adjoining stamp at left, in mixed franking with 1872 1/2 sen brown, plate 1, two examples from positions 9 respectively position 33, as well as 1 sen blue, plate 2, position 25, all paying seven times the single rate up to 28 momme within basic distance, not exceeding 25 ri, tied by five strikes of circular framed fancy “Tsuru” handstamp of Tsurugaka to very large local cover, opened for display. Framed “(year of) Water Monkey 10th Moon 6th and 7th Day” [handwritten]/Uzen Province/ postal receiving and handling (Gregorian 6 and 7 November 1872) datestamp on reverse. The two different days are dates of acceptance and delivery. Apart from the very fine quality highlighted in the 500 mon, the Sen Dragons are above the usually encountered state of preservation. Cert. Florian Eichhorn BPP (2023).A unique and spectacular franking including the first-issue highest denomination 500 mon, plate 2, being the rarest “Dragon” stamp on cover, with only five known including one in a museum. (JSCA ¥9,000,000).Note: Illustrated in the new 2023 JSCA catalogue on page 24.Census of 500 mon plate 2 complete covers we have documented:-The example presented here-Single franking, Hiroshima to Utsunomiya, in the Tejima collection-Single with 200 mon and 1 sen plate 2 (second issue), Jizodo to Saikyo, Meiji 5.11.30 (30.12.1872) in the Tejima collection.-Pair (the largest known multiple) and 1 sen (2), Atsugi to Hino, ex Robert Levy (Robson Lowe, 18.11.1964, lot 114), in the Kanai collection (The Philatelic Culture Museum)-Three examples in combination with 500 mon plate 1 (2), Tokyo to Nagasaki, in the Tejima collection