• JSCA2L1

Beschreibung

Japan, ¼ Boo Black on Yellow, Sutherland & Co. Local Post (JSCA 2L1). Position 8, natural straight edges at right and bottom, neat manuscript "X" cancel, small thin spots not noted on accompanying certificate VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE SUTHERLAND & COMPANY LOCAL POST ISSUE, THE FIRST STAMPS USED IN JAPAN AND ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS PHILATELIC RARITIES. ONE OF ONLY SEVEN EXAMPLES OF THE YELLOW PAPER AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS—ONLY TEN SUTHERLAND & COMPANY STAMPS ON EITHER COLOR PAPER ARE KNOWN OUTSIDE MUSEUMS. Information on the discovery of the example offered here, along with a history of the post and census of known examples, was the subject of an article by Dr. Kazuyuki Inoue in Fakes Forgeries Experts No. 9, May 2006. It was also the subject of an article by Thomas Lera in the Collectors Club Philatelist (March-April 2009). Sutherland & Co. was the name of a stagecoach service that ran between Yokohama and Tokyo in 1871, just before the first stamps were issued in Japan and before the inauguration of the Japanese Governmental Postal System. The post was established by James Wilson Sutherland, an Englishman, and John Farmer, an American. Both came to Japan in 1867 as agents for Cobb & Co. of Australia. They established their independent stagecoach company in 1871, with service between Yokohama and Tokyo. In addition to passengers, they also carried mail prior to the establishment of the Japanese Post Office. In 1872 a fire destroyed their office, and the firm merged with Cobb & Co.; Sutherland became its main representative in Yokohama. The Sutherland & Co. stamps are known in two denominations of the local currency: the ¼ Boo on yellow paper and the One Boo on rose paper. Each denomination was printed in sheets of 8, arranged 2 across and 4 down with straight edges on all four sides—therefore, all known examples have one or two straight edges. The label and denomination at top and bottom were printed from regular metal type, and the central portion of the design depicting the post rider was printed from a woodblock engraving. The ¼ Boo rate was for letters, while the One Boo rate was for parcels. All but one of the 7 known examples of the One Boo on rose paper have been altered in manuscript to read 1/4 Boo, indicating that there was little need for the parcel denomination. The yellow and rose Sutherland & Co. stamps have always been ranked among the world's greatest philatelic rarities. The issue was included in Encyclopedia of Rare and Famous Stamps by L. and N. Williams. According to Dr. Inoue's census of 15 stamps in total, 8 of the ¼ Boo on yellow paper are recorded, including 2 unused and 6 used (3 with pen "X" cancel, 3 with "City of Yedo" handstamp). Of the 7 One Boo stamps on rose paper, there is only one without the denomination changed in manuscript to 1/4 Boo (unused); the remaining 6 on rose paper have the "1/4" manuscript rate change (5 unused, 1 used with "City of Yedo" cancel). To determine how many Sutherland & Co. stamps are available to collectors, we must deduct 5 stamps that reside in museums. The Smithsonian National Postal Museum owns one 1/4 Boo on yellow ("City of Yedo" cancel) and one "1/4" on One Boo on rose (unused). Three additional stamps on rose paper are in other museums. That leaves only 7 of the yellow stamps and 3 of the rose stamps available to collectors. The Sutherland & Co. stamps are regarded as national treasures by Japanese collectors and rarely trade hands outside Japan. The example offered here was discovered in a collection in England in 2003 and offered at auction in that year, when it was acquired by the current owner. With 2003 Philatelic Museum Foundation of Japan certificate. The Dr. Inoue article accompanies

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