大龙邮票 · 普1.2 大龙阔边

Large Dragons — Wide Setting (Wide Margins)

🇬🇧 English

Issue Date: April 1882
Denominations: 1 Candarin (Green); 3 Candarins (Dark Red); 5 Candarins (Orange-Yellow)
Printing: Letterpress; copper plates
Paper: Mixed stocks; some thin and brittle
Perforation: P12.5
Stamp Spacing: 4.5–5mm
Sheet Layout: 25 (5×5); 3ca: 15 (5×3)
Printer: Statistical Department of the Inspectorate General of Customs, Shanghai

Quantities Issued (Thin + Wide Setting combined)

  • 1 Candarin: 89,011
  • 3 Candarins: 288,828
  • 5 Candarins: 137,865

Known Varieties

  • 1ca: Thick paper with “MONCKTONKENT” watermark
  • 3ca: Thick paper with “MONCKTONKENT” watermark

Background

The Wide Setting was the second printing of the Large Dragons. After the first printing was completed, the individual clichés were broken up and reassembled. Due to this reassembly, the spacing between stamps was widened to 4.5–5mm, giving the issue its distinctive appearance.

The 3-candarin sheets used paper cut from remainders of the 1878 Thin Paper printing, so each full sheet contained only 15 stamps (5×3). For the 1-candarin, a thin, unglazed paper was used with 25 stamps per sheet. The 5-candarin was printed on a fragile French paper in a very small quantity — only 2 sheets are recorded. Because of the small printing and rapid sale (the supply sold out in nine months), surviving unused examples are extremely rare. Fewer than 100 unused 5-candarin stamps are known, making it one of the great rarities of Chinese philately.

Featured Item

The 5-candarin Wide Setting (known as “黄5分”) is widely regarded as the most prestigious stamp in Chinese philately. Its unique full sheet is considered one of the greatest rarities in world philately.

大龙邮票_普1.2 大龙阔边_5

大龙邮票_普1.2 大龙阔边_5

🇨🇳 中文

发行日期： 1882年4月
面值： 1分银（绿）；3分银（暗红）；5分银（桔黄）
版别： 凸版印刷，铜质版模
纸张： 纸质复杂，部分脆薄易损
齿孔度数： P12.5
图距： 4.5–5mm
整版枚数： 25（5×5）；3分银为15（5×3）
印刷厂： 上海总税务司署造册处

发行数量（薄纸+阔边合计）

  • 1分银：89,011枚
  • 3分银：288,828枚
  • 5分银：137,865枚

变体票

  • 1分银：厚纸、带造纸厂厂名水印”MONCKTONKENT”
  • 3分银：厚纸、带造纸厂厂名水印”MONCKTONKENT”

背景

阔边大龙是大龙邮票的第二次印制。第一次印制完成后，子模被拆散重新组合，因排版重新组合，邮票图框间距被加宽至4.5–5毫米，故称”阔边大龙”。

印制3分银时，纸张采用1878年印制薄纸大龙时所裁剩下的小张纸，因此阔边3分银全张仅15枚（5×3）。1分银采用一种不厚不薄的纸张，全张枚数为25枚（5×5）。5分银印制时，因一时找不到合适的纸张，使用了一种法国产的薄而易脆裂的纸张，印制数量极少，仅有2万枚。由于售出时间短（九个月即售空），存世的新票仅百余枚，而大方连更少，已成为华邮中较罕贵之珍品，蜚声于世界邮坛。

代表珍品

阔边5分银（俗称”黄5分”）是中国珍邮中排行第一的大龙阔边票，被公认为中国早期邮票中最著名的珍品。