Kelleher and Rogers May 13-14 auction to offer classic China, PRC, Manchukuo, more

By Charles Snee

Kelleher and Rogers Ltd., a division of Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions, will offer stamps of classic China, the People’s Republic of China, Manchukuo, Thailand and Burma during an auction to be held May 13-14 at the Kelleher Auctions gallery in Danbury, Conn.

Each day of the sale will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

According to Kelleher and Rogers, the two-day sale features more than 700 lots of “singles, sets and collections, spanning all eras of Chinese philately along with Burma, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and others.”

“Imperial China includes imperforate and imperforate-between Large Dragons, a small 4¢ on 3¢ Red Revenue, and provisional bisects, while Republic offers 1912 Commemorative sheets, attractive Junk issues including several $20 values, etc.,” Kelleher and Rogers said. “The extensive People’s Republic section includes scarce Liberated Areas material, three Mei Lan-fang souvenir sheets, a ‘Whole Country Is Red’ single, and our usual array of popular sets.

“Non-China is highlighted by a newly certified Hong Kong 1891 Jubilee First Day Cover, lovely Burma with a selection of pristine Japanese Occupation issues, and simply exquisite Thailand featuring British Bangkok, Thai Occupation of Kelantan, and Thailand proper with King Chulalongkorn unissued, proof and specimen items, Battambang Provisionals, inverted overprints, and more.”

A key rarity of China will cross the auction block on May 13: a mint, never-hinged 1941 $2 blue and black Dr. Sun Yat-sen stamp with the black vignette (center portrait) of Sun Yat-sen inverted (Scott 461a).

Kelleher and Rogers draw attention to the stamp’s “deep rich colors on bright white paper” along with “a few negligible dull patches in gum and trivial black specks on reverse [not shown] of no importance to the overall Very fine and fresh quality of this popular twentieth century rarity.”

Just one sheet of 50 of this eye-catching error is believed to have been printed, according to Kelleher and Rogers.

Kelleher and Rogers estimates this important Sun Yat-sen invert error stamp at HK$280,000 to HK$400,000 (approximately US$36,078 to US$51,540 in late April) and lists it with an opening bid of HK$140,000 (US$18,038).

The 1941 $2 blue and black Dr. Sun Yat-sen invert error stamp is valued at $180,000 in the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. The value is in italics to indicate an item for which limited market data is available to establish a catalog value.

Also up for bids on the first day of the auction is a rarity of the People’s Republic of China: a mint, never-hinged example of the iconic 1968 8-fen stamp (Scott 999A) featuring a map of China, a worker, farmer and soldier.

The Chinese inscription on the map translates as “the entire nation is red,” but Taiwan, seen at lower right, is not shaded red on the map. This created controversy because China claims sovereignty over Taiwan. The stamp was withdrawn from sale on Nov. 26, 1968, one day after it was issued.

According to Kelleher and Rogers, the stamp in the sale has a very light paper crack at bottom that has been repaired and a “trivial corner crease at bottom right.”

Kelleher and Rogers is offering this 1968 8f The Entire Nation is Red stamp with an opening bid of $HK130,000 (US$16,750) against an estimate of HK$250,000 to HK$300,000 (US$32,213 to US$38,655).

The Scott Standard catalog notes that Scott 999A is “most often found repaired. Values are for sound, unrepaired examples.” In sound condition, the stamp is valued at $135,000 in the Scott Standard catalog.

Kelleher and Rogers has prepared a catalog for the two-day sale of stamps from classic China, the People’s Republic of China, Manchukuo, Thailand and Burma that is available for viewing and download on the firm’s website. Online bidding options are available on Stamp Auction Network.

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