Lot Details

1871, 500 mon yellow green, earliest printing, two singles including position 37, used in combination with 200 mon earliest printing, plate I, bottom 500 and 200 mon, cut into at upper right, uncancelled, but with sender's address in Tokyo and addressed to Kameyama, Ise Province.

Manuscript date "year of the ape 3rd month 16th day", or Meiji 4.3.16 (5 May 1871).

A remarkable early high-franking cover from the opening months of the postal service, of considerable postal-historical interest despite the absence of postal obliteration.

Rate: 1200 mon basic weight, separate area rate of the first rate period.

Reference: Illustrated in 19th century, fig. 16; Dragon Covers, p. 131.