Description
China 1894 60th Birthday of Dowager Empress 9ca dull green, vertical tete-beche pair, SG22d.
A well centred mint example of this scarce and popular printing variety with large part original gum and just a trace of gum disturbance.
The Dowager Empress stamps were the very first commemorative stamps issued by China. They were issued to celebrate the 60th Birthday of the Dowager Empress, one of the most powerful women in the history of China.
The 9ca stamps of the issue were printed in sheets containing six panes of 25 stamps. The bottom left stamp in each pane was inverted, giving horizontal and vertical tete-beche pairs. The left vertical row of stamps in each pane was removed from the sheets used for surcharging.