Lot Details

1872, 1/2 sen brown, plate I, a block of 10 (2 x 5), tied by eight strikes of kiban i-he 26 (Nakamura, Harima Province) to the reverse of a cover to Himeji.

Manuscript dateline Meiji 8.11.31 (31 November 1875).

The largest recorded multiple of the 1/2 sen Plate I on cover, a remarkable showpiece of the sen issue and an item of considerable rarity.

Rate: Half letter rate for official mail, five times weight = 5 sen.

Reference: Illustrated in Dragon Covers, p. 121.