Major Chinese philatelic rarity

[britannia]

For sale is one of the greatest rarities of Chinese classic philately, in the form of one of the most important Large Dragons (i.e. China's first stamp issue) covers (which is a philatelic term for 'letter') in existence. It is the only known cover bearing ALL THREE VALUES OF THE LARGE DRAGONS ON THE FRONT, together with a foreign stamp. It was sent in 1889 from Peking to Munich, Germany, through the French Post Office in Shanghai, and it is franked with a 1 candareen green, a 3 candareen red and a 5 candareen yellow respectively, as well as a French 25 centimes stamp, all applied on the front of the envelope (contrary to the normal practice of applying the Chinese stamps on the reverse of the envelope and the foreign stamps on the front, in case of letters sent abroad). Furthermore, this 1889 cover represents a very late usage of the Large Dragons stamps, thus adding to its importance and rarity. Also adding greatly to this cover's prestige is its' perfect quality, which makes it the ideal investment item. A Peter Holcombe certificate of authenticity accompanies it, as well as impeccable references in the specialised literature.

Arguably the most important philatelic book on the postal history of China's Large Dragons is James B. Whang's "A Comprehensive Illustration on Covers of Chinese Large Dragons" (Taipei, 1997). The book is in fact a very comprehensive census of the vast majority (over 95%) of Large Dragons covers still in existence (356 in total). This particular cover offered here is, of course, listed and illustrated in the book on page 542, position 328 in the census (relevant scans have been included below). Studying all of the covers listed in James B. Whang's book confirms beyond any reasonable doubt that this cover belongs to the 'TOP 10' most important of them, if not the 'TOP 5'.

Many of the Large Dragons covers in existence have been offered and sold at public auction during the past decade. The main reason behind this is the phenomenal 'boom' in the value of Chinese philately during the past 10 years or so. With sky-high results, consistent and constant growth and massive levels of interest from investors and collectors alike, all over the world, Chinese philately is proving to be a very wise investment and this is most evident in case of rarities. All of the major philatelic auctioneers of the world, and especially the philatelic auction houses in Hong Kong, keep realising huge prices for significant Chinese rarities. One a many Large Dragons covers have been sold at auction during the past decade for prices in excess of HK$ 4,000,000 and above.

This cover is a true gem of Chinese philately and would greatly enhance even the most advanced philatelic collection or the most carefully selected investment portfolio. And, besides all this, the pride of ownership it brings with it is supreme (which can't really be said of intangible assets, which cannot be physically enjoyed or exhibited).

The price is $350,000 paid in BTC or ETH exclusively. Other cryptos might be accepted, depending on the state of the market at the time, however prospective buyers should inquire in advance.

The seller could (and would very much prefer to) deliver the cover personally in most countries of the European Union (including some Western/Northern European countries which are not EU members, such as Switzerland or Norway), as well as in Hong Kong. This service is, of course, free of charge for the buyer. For any other location, please inquire. Shipping by FedEx is possible only if the transaction takes place via BitPremier.com (where this ad should be listed very soon), as they offer their own escrow service.

The seller is a professional full-time philatelist, philatelic dealer and consultant, as well as a philatelic expert on worldwide classic stamps and postal history, based in Germany. He has 12 years experience and is specialised in building philatelic investment portfolios and exhibition collections.

Pictures:

http://imgur.com/MrJ2Un1
http://imgur.com/u69pDeF
http://imgur.com/HJN0WpY
http://imgur.com/3dGR539
http://imgur.com/NeXXhZp

[1714070920]

1714070920

[leea-1334]

Amazing pictures. Stamp collecting was a popular hobby but only before the millenials were born. I much doubt this can attract serious attention here. But if a sale comes through, it will be good media for this forum and Bitcoin.

[britannia]

Thanks for the message and the support, much appreciated! It is true that there are many hobbies out there more popular than philately at the moment, especially amongst young people, however there is some promising activity happening in stamp collecting as well, I am happy to report. The run-of-the-mill stuff is not doing great, just because the number of small collectors worldwide is not what it used to be 30-40 years ago. However, rarities are actually doing quite well and there is a constant flow of new people entering the business, primarily as collector-investors. Some of them are actually quite young and most of them are "mature", usually in their 40s and early 50s.

During the past ten years or so, the undisputed star of international philately has been China, with the Chinese buying back their treasures, many of which had been locked up in collections in old Europe (and, to a lesser extent, the US) for the past 100 years or so. Needless to say, it has to do with their economic growth. Same story with India and the same thing happened with Russian philately in the mid-90s, when the oligarchs emerged on the international scene and started buying back Russian history. That helped stabilise the market for Russian philately at a very high level, where it remains to this day.

Having said all that, I too fear that this Chinese rarity won't attract much attention here but, on the other hand, most buyers in the major philatelic auctions in Hong Kong are in their 30s and 40s, usually from mainland China. Surely some of them must have some Bitcoins...

[britannia]

Quick up-date: the cover is now listed on BitPremier as well.

https://www.bitpremier.com/7-collectibles/3046-major-chinese-philatelic-rarity