The 1300 lot sale includes many rare and important items and features China with Large and Small Dragons including the definitive study of the unknown Settings of the Large Dragons, Dowagers and surcharges, important Red Revenues with an almost complete reconstruction of the small figures 2c. on 3c. inverted surcharge, the first part of the W.S. Kong Imperial Dollar Daters, Republic of China with proofs, rare 1914-25 inverts (including three of the Four Treasures of the Republic in extremely rare used condition) and specialised Airmails, Postage Dues, Express Letter stamps and Booklets from the Beckeman collection, People's Republic of China, early Taiwan rarities, Local Posts and Foreign Post Offices; Hong Kong and Treaty Ports with extensive postal history; Macau; Thailand with J.M.S. Roberts' definitive collection of Railway cancellations offered intact; and the first portion of the Beckeman Gold Medal Mongolia.

People’s Republic
occupying the first day and a half of the sale. Its 1,300 lots, by far our largest offering ever of this immensely popular subject, are noteworthy both in terms of the great rarities, as well as the abundance and depth of popular sets and miniature sheets. The pristine marginal block of four of the 1968 unissued “Great Victory of the Cultural Revolution” 8f. and the 1953 Military “Blue Navy” $800 in both an extraordinarily rare pair and a single (ex Lin Song) in exquisite condition are true highlights.
 
Besides the great rarities, all the popular sets and miniature sheets are included – usually in abundance – complemented by blocks and large multiples, as well as first day covers. This presentation culminates with the Y.Y. Chen complete collection of the “C” and “S” series in mint blocks of four, including the Mei Lanfang imperforate set in magnificent corner blocks, offered as one lot.

China
The Ching Dynasty and the Republic-period China offering continues these two themes of both comprehensiveness and noteworthy rarities. The stamps and postal history of the Ching Dynasty and Republic of China will be offered from the Saturday afternoon through Monday and is highlighted by many of the great rarities, as well as some of the most select covers of each issue, sprinkled throughout, constituting spectacular and exotic usages, including unique franked postcards and rare post offices.For example, the almost 150 lots of the highly sought-after Red Revenues include the small figures surcharge 4c. on 3c. double surchargeand the large figures surcharge $5 on 3c. in a superlative unique used sheet margin pair. The Republic of China is highlighted by an unmounted mint 1941 Dr. Sun Yat-sen $2 inverted centre and the Sinkiang 1915 $1 transposed characters surcharge error in a se-tenant strip of three (ex Sir Percival David and Mizuhara Meiso).

Hong Kong
Preceding the main sale’s Hong Kong is the “Nostalgia” collection of Hong Kong and China Printed Matter Mail, an original study presented to exhibition standard of these scarce usages, offered in a separate catalogue. The Hong Kong section in the main catalogue includes one of only eight recorded examples of the 1880 5c. on 8c. double surcharge, one of only two existing sets of proofs of the 1954 Queen Elizabeth II Definitives (with the other in the Queen’s collection), and Nick Halewood’s International Gold Medal Hong Kong Airmails exhibit is being offered intact.

Interasia Auctions December 15-18 auction of China, Hong Kong & Asia Stamps & Postal History. The 3,800 lot sale features another outstanding offering of China, with important Ching Dynasty and Republic rarities, substantial postal history, postal stationery, Taiwan, rare Local Posts and Foreign Post Offices; extensive People’s Republic; a large offering of Hong Kong and Treaty Ports stamps and postal history; an exceptional North Korea collection; important Macau; and select Philippines postal history. China highlights include the 1897 Red Revenue small figures 2c. black-green surcharge (one of only three recorded examples), three of the Four Treasures of the Republic, a marginal example of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen invert,and important Ching Dynasty covers from an International Grand Prix Collection. People’s Republic features three of the exceedingly rare 1964 unissued Peking Opera Masks, the 1967 unissued Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base 8f. Chairman Mao & Lin Biao “Blue Heaven” – the rarest stamp of the Cultural Revolution – and an imprint block of four of the iconic 1968 “Whole Country is Red.”