8- 1897 China Red Revenue small “1 dollar” – $889,832
Only 32 example of this temporary issue known, the Red Revenue stamp is a true celebrity among the world’s greatest rarities.
The China’s rarest stamp, the 1897 Red Revenue stamp, overprinted with “1 dollar” in small letters, and its first ever issue.
It was produced under the Qing government as it took control of postage from the foreigner-dominated Maritime Customs Department.
It was issued when China’s currency switched from candarins to the dollar, but the writing was deemed illegible and replaced with a larger text.
The record example of the stamp sold at auction for $889,832 at InterAsia in 2013.
