Author: --

Size: --

Signed and dated: --

Estimate:

Final Price: unsold

1916 Hung Hsien Commemorative Issue and ovpt.“Limited for Use in Sinkiang Province”，both with overprints“SPECIMEN”，Chan AP1-AP3 and AP4-AP6，N.G.，extremely rare，VF-F. In December 1915，Yuan Shih-kai，President of the Republic of China，conspired to turn the republicanism to monarchism and tried to crown himself emperor. He named his reign as“Hung Hsien”and the year 1916 as Hung Hsien First Year. As he met strong opposition from many provincial governments，the imperial system was annulled. So the Hung Hsien commemorative stamps that had been perpared for the occasion were destroyed before issued. However，some stamps which had already been overprinted with“SPECIMEN”remained in the district post offices.