The 2025 December Auction - Sale 346 (December 13 - December 16, 2025)
Sale 346
- (-) Remove Taiwan filter Taiwan
each affixed with the full set of three denominations from the first issue (Die I) — 30c, 50c, and 100c — all cancelled with purple double-circle “TAIWAN REPUBLIC / TAINAN” datestamps dated September 12, 1895. The date falls about one month before the fall of Formosan Republic, demonstrating that Tainan postal administration was still in operation and maintaining external communications during the final days of the regime, an extremely rare and historically significant occurrence. The first issue “Tiger” stamps were printed between August and September 1895 at Tainan Printing Bureau, produced by hand-engraved silver plates on very thin native paper. They represent the Republic’s first officially issued postage stamps after establishing its independent postal system. Each denomination corresponded to a specific postal rate, with minor variations in inking tones reflecting the manual nature of production. These two pieces, each bearing a complete set tied by identical Tainan cancellations of the same date, form a highly representative and important assembly for the study of the Formosan Republic’s postal operations, rate structure, and primitive printing methods. Mizuhara "Huayou Jijin II" vol. 7, p.270.
comprising a complete unused set of three (30c, 50c, and 100c), one used 30c, one used 50c (value type Die III), one horizontal pair of 100c (value type Die I), and two partly imperforate examples of 30c and 100c respectively. Printed from hand-engraved silver dies on thin wove paper with perf. 12, these stamps often show irregular or incomplete perforations at the edges. Produced in October 1895, when the Tainan government was nearing collapse, the printing conditions were difficult and materials scarce; the impressions display uneven inking and varying line thickness, reflecting the crude craftsmanship typical of late wartime production. This second issue represents the re-engraved and revised stage of the Formosan Republic “Tiger” stamps. While retaining the original tiger design, the overall engraving and coloration appear coarser and darker, marking it as a distinctly late-period issue. The group includes unused and used examples, a multiple, and partly imperforate varieties, together forming a comprehensive representation of the second issue’s printing methods, die variations, and postal usage. An essential and rare assemblage for the study of the printing evolution of Formosan Republic postal issues. Mizuhara "Huayou Jijin II" vol. 7, p.271.
comprising a complete unused set of three (30c, 50c, and 100c), one used set on piece. Printed from hand-engraved silver dies on thin wove paper with perf. 12, these stamps often show irregular or incomplete perforations at the edges. Produced in October 1895, when the Tainan government was nearing collapse, the printing conditions were difficult and materials scarce; the impressions display uneven inking and varying line thickness, reflecting the crude craftsmanship typical of late wartime production. This second issue represents the re-engraved and revised stage of the Formosan Republic “Tiger” stamps. While retaining the original tiger design, the overall engraving and coloration appear coarser and darker, marking it as a distinctly late-period issue. The group includes unused and used examples, a multiple, and partly imperforate varieties, together forming a comprehensive representation of the second issue’s printing methods, die variations, and postal usage. An essential and rare assemblage for the study of the printing evolution of Formosan Republic postal issues. Mizuhara "Huayou Jijin II" vol. 7, p.272.
tied by violet double-ring “TAIWAN REPUBLIC – TAINAN” cds, with “LOCAL POST OFFICE AMOY SE 20 95” arrival alongside, addressed to “H. A. Petersen & Co., Amoy.” Mailed during the brief postal operation following the proclamation of the Taiwan Republic in May 1895 (Kuanghsu 21), this cover bears the first officially issued stamp of the Tainan Post Office, used for handling foreign commercial correspondence. The letter originated in Tainan and was conveyed via private shipping to Amoy, where the local post office applied its arrival marking, clearly showing that postal communication between Formosa and the Chinese treaty ports continued even after Taiwan’s declaration of independence. It represents a rare surviving example demonstrating the continued functioning of the Republic’s independent postal system on the eve of Japanese occupation, and serves as an important document for the study of the Taiwan Republic’s postal administration and its links with South China. One of the most representative and rare commercial covers in the postal history of Qing-era Taiwan. Mizuhara "Huayou Jijin II" vol. 7, p.270.
tied by double-ring “FORMOSAN REPUBLIC / TAIWAN” English datestamp dated October 12, 1895. Addressed in pencil to C. A. Walker, the red-band envelope represents the typical format of late-Qing commercial correspondence from Taiwan to foreign treaty ports, reflecting a distinctive period style and export-mail format. Posted during the final, unsettled weeks before the fall of the Taiwan Republic, the cover shows that the postal administration continued to maintain outward sea-mail connections despite political and military turmoil, an important testament to the final phase of Taiwan’s autonomous postal service. According to Meiso Mizuhara's research, this issue (30 Cash, 50 Cash, and 100 Cash, Die III) was printed on imported European paper, thin to medium wove with horizontal watermark lines, perforated before hand-overprinting, usually showing uneven perforation at the edges, a characteristic feature of the series. In total about 8,000 stamps were actually used, of which covers bearing genuine postal usage are exceedingly few. This envelope is not only a key item for studying the late postal operation of the Taiwan Republic and its commercial communication with South China, but also one of the most symbolically important and academically valuable surviving postal artifacts in the postal history of Qing-era Taiwan. Mizuhara "Huayou Jijin II" vol. 7, p.272.
both printed on laid paper with single control character “燈” in red, one bearing serial number 125, one without serial no. .
stained. F-VF.
toned. VF-F.
all on piece. VF-F.
one without a control character or serial number, one with single control character “鳳” in red and serial number, and one with single control character “地” in red, serial number and red boxed “滬尾旁站” station chop.
both used. VF-F.
showing four different control characters: “秦”, “齊”, “善”, and “陳”.