Rare Chinese stamps worth money

7 notable rare Chinese stamps

Listed roughly in date order, not ranked by price. Figures are only given where a named source records them.

1. 1

   Large Dragons

   1878

   Why it is rare

   China's first stamps, issued by the Customs post in July 1878 (the exact day is disputed) in three values: 1 candareen green, 3 candareens red and 5 candareens yellow. There are thin-paper, thick-paper and wide-margin printings, and the wide-margin stamps are the hardest to find. Spink's lot notes record printings of roughly 89,000 to 289,000 per value and paper.

   What drives the value

   Printing (thin, thick or wide margin), shade, full sheets and above all covers. Just four covers bearing Large Dragons from 1878 are known.

   How to recognize it

   A large dragon with the word CHINA and the value in candareens, typographed and perforated.

   Documented figures

   The earliest known Large Dragon cover, with three 5 candareen stamps, sold at Interasia in Hong Kong in June 2018 for HK$18,975,000 (US$2,417,700), as reported by Just Collecting. By contrast, Spink sold a lot of 25 fresh 1883 thick-paper copies for HK$18,000.

   Sources: Wikipedia (Chinese), Just Collecting, Mintage World, Spink

2. 2

   Red Revenue Small One Dollar

   1897

   Why it is rare

   In 1897 red 3 cent revenue stamps printed by Waterlow were surcharged for postal use. The $1 surcharge in small characters was soon replaced by a larger one after complaints that it was hard to read. Only 32 copies are known, and it is described as China's rarest regularly issued stamp.

   What drives the value

   Condition, the clarity of the surcharge and pedigree. A unique block of four is the most famous single item in Chinese philately.

   How to recognize it

   A red revenue stamp with a small black surcharge reading 當壹圓 (one dollar). Compare it with the Large One Dollar, which uses bigger characters.

   Documented figures

   Interasia sold a copy in Hong Kong in 2013 for HK$6.9 million (about US$890,000), as reported by AFP.

   Sources: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (Chinese), Dawn (AFP)

   Chinese Red Revenue value guide
3. 3

   Other Red Revenue surcharge rarities

   1897

   Why it is rare

   The Small 2 cent with inverted and double surcharge has 19 recorded copies, of which 12 can still be traced. The Small 4 cent exists in only about seven blocks of four. Complete panes of the more common values are major items too.

   What drives the value

   The exact surcharge type, multiples and certification. Washed and re-surcharged fakes are known, so certificates matter.

   How to recognize it

   Red Waterlow revenue stamps surcharged 大清郵政 with a new value in cents or dollars. The size of the numerals and characters separates the small and large surcharge types.

   Source: Wikipedia (Chinese)

4. 4

   Junk issue $2 with inverted center ('Palace Gate' invert)

   1914

   Why it is rare

   The dollar values of the 1914 Peking first printing show the gateway of the Guozijian, nicknamed the 'Palace Gate' stamps. When the $2 was printed, sheets were fed upside down and the center came out inverted. Fifty were found at the Hankou post office, and about 30 survive. It is ranked first of the 'four treasures' of Republic of China philately.

   What drives the value

   Condition, centering and certification.

   How to recognize it

   The $2 Palace Gate design from the 1914 Peking printing, with the central gateway upside down.

   Source: Wikipedia (Chinese)

5. 5

   1967 'Big Blue Sky' unissued stamp

   1967

   Why it is rare

   An unissued 8 fen Cultural Revolution stamp that exists only as scraps salvaged from the destruction process.

   What drives the value

   Provenance and certification. Any surviving example is a major item.

   How to recognize it

   Known to collectors as 'Big Blue Sky'. Because it was never issued, anything offered needs strong documentation.

   Source: Wikipedia

6. 6

   'The Whole Country is Red'

   1968

   Why it is rare

   An 8 fen stamp showing a red map of China with Taiwan only outlined, not shaded red. It was distributed for less than half a day before being recalled, and its designer Wan Weisheng estimated that only two to three thousand reached the market. A larger format was never issued at all, and only nine of those are said to remain.

   What drives the value

   Large or small format, condition and provenance.

   How to recognize it

   A worker, peasant and soldier holding Mao's Quotations in front of a red map of China, with Taiwan left white.

   Documented figures

   A large-format example sold for 13.8 million yuan at China Guardian in Beijing in November 2018, beating the 2012 record of 7.3 million yuan (SBS). Wikipedia's list puts that sale at $2,000,000.

   Sources: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (Chinese), SBS, Wikipedia

7. 7

   1980 Year of the Monkey

   1980

   Why it is rare

   Not rare: 5 million were printed. China's first zodiac stamp became a symbol of the Asian stamp market, and demand keeps prices high for a modern stamp.

   What drives the value

   Full sheets of 80, never-hinged condition and freshness. Forgeries are common.

   How to recognize it

   An 8 fen stamp with a golden monkey on red, designed by Huang Yongyu and Shao Bolin, issued 15 February 1980.

   Documented figures

   A full sheet of 80 sold for 1.2 million yuan in 2011, according to Wikipedia.

   Source: Wikipedia

What are most Chinese stamps worth?

Most Chinese stamps you will come across are common. People's Republic stamps were printed in large runs, and even the 1980 Monkey, the most famous modern Chinese stamp, had a print run of 5 million. Its value comes from demand, not scarcity.

Famous designs are not always expensive either. Spink sold 25 ordinary 1883 thick-paper Large Dragons as one lot for HK$18,000, a long way from the multi-million-dollar cover records. Variety, printing and condition decide which end of the range a stamp belongs to.

Wikipedia notes that Cultural Revolution withdrawals left a few stamps that are quite scarce, especially used. Most stamps of that era are not in that group, so check the exact issue before assuming value.

How to identify Chinese stamps

These checks narrow a stamp down to the exact issue. That matters because a rare variety and a common one often share the same design.

For a broader walkthrough, see the Chinese stamp identification guide and the checklist on how to identify rare stamps.

Fakes, reprints and forged overprints

Red Revenue fakes are sophisticated. Low values have had their surcharge chemically washed off and replaced with a higher-value one; after such fakes turned up at a 2011 Interasia sale, the house refunded buyers and withdrew the lots. Forgers have also scraped off a large numeral 4 and substituted a small one to imitate the rarer Small 4 cent.

The 1980 Monkey has been forged repeatedly because of its value. For any Chinese stamp priced in the thousands, insist on a certificate from a recognized expert committee.