Manchurian Local Overprints 1945 - 1947

Unidentified Chops

Listed as unidentified by Kerr. This only occurs on the 4f stamp shown above. This is a four character overprint reading 中華民國 Chinese Republic.

This is listed in Kerr as T489 an unidentified overprint. In this case the block of 4 are fakes as seen on an online auction site. Probably a fake of a fake. Kerr only lists a 1Y surcharge on the 6f crimson and describes it as extremely doubtful.

The only conclusion that it is possible to draw looking at the above is that these are some type of modern forgery. The purple chop is not listed. The 4f China Mail stamp is not known to have Manchurian Local Overprints. The Postmark has been tentatively identified as Kai Ping (Shwang Kang) with an obliterated postmark on the year date "3" 1936, well before the time of the MLO's. A very odd combination for a forger to choose - unless there is another explanation?

The above are part of a set of 12 stamps with unidentified chops listed in Kerr (but not mentioned in Chan). Kerr does not list the 4f so this would make the set 13 values in all. The overprint appears to have been made with a rubber chop using a very oily ink which has been absorbed into the paper of the stamp. This is a four character overprint reading 中華民國 Chinese Republic.

Kerr warns that these unidentified stamps might have been manufactured by stamp dealers but if so, they were probably produced between 1945-1947 and are unlikely to be modern fakes.

These stamps have been identified by using Volume II of the Stamp Catalogue of China by Shui-Hon Chan and the four booklet guide The Local Overprinted Stamps of Manchuria 1945-7 by Allen D Kerr (published 1978 and now out of print). Both works are essential for anyone delving seriously into this subject.