Lot 30117 – 1872, 20 sen Matsuda printing vertical strip of four and UPU Koban 2 sen (3) on cover

THE HIGHEST 20 SEN MATSUDA-PRINTING FRANKING IN PRIVATE HANDS

1872, 20 sen dark violet, Matsuda printing, a spectacular vertical strip of four including positions 11 / 19 / 27 / 35, in mixed franking with three UPU “Koban” 2 sen carmine, of which two are with insect faults; all used on reverse of large registered cover to a place in Matsuura district in Nagasaki prefecture. Each stamp cancelled by large “bota” of Nagasaki with accompanying dN3B3 “Nagasaki 17.7.25” (July 25, 1884) cds alongside. A spectacular and extraordinary franking. Cert. Philatelic Federation of Japan (2013).

Only six covers are recorded in private hands exhibiting the 20 sen native paper, this example possessing the largest multiple available. Out of eight covers documented, this is unique in combination with the “UPU Koban” issue. The largest multiple on cover is a block of six in the Kanai collection in the Philatelic Culture Museum.

Note: The exceptionally high 86 sen franking was required to pay forty times the single weight (80 sen), and the additional 6 sen paid the registration fee. This covers illustrates the domestic mail for this stamp on page 46 in the JSCA catalogue (2023).