1897 Red Revenue, small 2 cents surcharge in Black-Green (dark green), position 9, centered a bit to base just like the example from the Robert C.H. Lee collection, dot extremely misplaced, part original gum, no tears but oxidized, fine (Chan 84Ta). A remarkable example from the earliest trial printings. This is one of only 4 recorded copies so far. This black-green surcharge is known as the dark-green surcharge by Chinese specialists. There are two theories as to how this variety occurs. The most plausible theory is that there was one setting of twenty stamps which had a black surcharge applied directly over the green trial surcharge due to the surcharge plate not have
been properly cleaned. The resulting surcharge in black on green ink similarly heavy and smudged. The printing block needed thorough cleaning, and the theory that it was broken up to do this is reasonable. In that case the setting of the dark green surcharge would be the same, than that of the green trial print. According to a study of this stamp on Postal History Research, No. 24 (March 2007) by Mr. Wang Tong, there were at least two instances of the surcharge plate being insufficiently cleaned, thereby resulting in this phenomenon of a green-black surcharge. We know that the green setting was applied on the top two rows and it is logical to assume that the black on green was applied on the next two rows. The example of this surcharge matches that of the previous offered stamps at Matthew Bennett and Interasia in that it has heavier impression around the outside of the characters and hollow in the middle.
To date, there are only three properly documented examples of this exceptionally rare variety, which is listed in Chan catalogue as 84Ta: Pos. 4 H.B.R. Clarke (April 1953), Dr. Robert C.H. Lee (November 1963), Sun (Matthew Bennett, June 2001); Pos 15 Sir David Roseway (Robson Lowe, November 1963); Pos 11 (Interasia, December 2012), Provenance: this was the hidden treasury from family Schroeder, Mr. Karl E. Schroeder, one of the first German stamp dealers for Chinese Philately, found it in the sixties in an old german estate and kept this rarity secretly for decades!
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