Lot 90010 – 1871, 48 mon dark brown, plate 2, vertical strip of four on cover

1871, 48 mon dark brown, plate 2, vertical strip of four, positions 4 / 12 / 20 / 28, only pos. 28 with left margin slightly touched, otherwise being very fine with good to large margins all around, tied by two strikes of early non-standard square « Kozuchi / ken » handstamp of Kozuchi, Mino province, on reverse of an entire letter sent to a postal official at Hotaka town, Shinano province. On address side framed early-non standard « (year of the) rooster 8th month 24th day / Kozuchi Postal Receving and Handling Agency » (Gregorian 24 August 1873) datestamp in red. The 200 mon postage paid the unified nationwide single weight letter rate of the 3rd rate period, Meiji 6.4.1-15.12.31.A very attractive and rare franking of the scarce second plate of the first postage stamp of Japan.