Lot 81534 – 1866, 12ca, 16 Sperati items used to produce the 12ca stamp with overprint

1866, 12ca, 16 Sperati items used to produce the 12ca stamp with overprint, comprising 12 glass clichés of the stamp in a variety of colours (vermilion, gray, black, white on black), one with Sperati production notations relating to the film paper used. Also one beautiful celluloid cliché in vermilion coloured around the design, and two glass clichés of the overprint featuring the characteristic broken D, and an overprint trial print on paper. An exceptional range of materials that witnesses to Sperati’s reproduction of this issue, which was unknown until recently and represents the only reproduction of Chinese philately.