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