Lot 30061 – The unique cover of the most important error of the First Dragon Issue

THE UNIQUE COVER BEARING THE RAREST 500 MON VARIETY

1871, 500 mon earliest printing in greyish yellow green, plate 1, position 3 showing the famous « Missing Stroke » and « Missing Dot » in the « Sen » character plate flaws, good to almost full vertical margin at right with three large margins in other respects, positional pinhole at top right (type R pinhole arrangement in the plate), tied by large « Saikyo kensazumi » to folded letter sent to Tokyo, with vermilion framed datestamp « (year of) Water Monkey 8th moon 26th day / Saikyo P.O » (28 September 1872 in western calendar) below and Tokyo arrival 8.30 alongside. Part of the address missing at top. Cert. Florian Eichhorn BPP (2023).

Only four examples of the « double error » plate flaw of position 3 are recorded, this being unique on cover. The errors of the 500 mon plate 1 were almost immediately detected and retouched, thus explaining its rarity. (JSCA 10,000,000 for a single stamp off cover).

Note: The postage corresponded to the single domestic weight for a distance between 100 ri and 200 ri, paying 400 mon and additionally 100 mon for the local delivery outside the Tokyo city ward, according to the second tariff period (Meiji 4.12.5-6.3.31 (1872-1873). Saikyo and Tokyo were separated by a distance of ca. 126 ri.

Provenance:

Robert S. Levy (Robson Lowe 20.2.1962, lot 107)

Yamamoto Kunichi (who considered this to be the best cover in his collection)