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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

SHANGHAI 1865 Large dragon issue

Return To Catalogue - Shanghai large dragon issues, forgeries, part 1 - Shanghai large dragon issues, forgeries, part 2- Shanghai 1866-1889 - Shanghai 1890-1893 and miscellaneous - China

Shanghai is a port in China

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase the catalogue.

Thanks to Wolfgang Balzer for providing useful information about the forgeries of this country.

1865 Dragon, large size

(Reduced sizes)

  1 c blue
  2 c black
  3 c brown
  4 c yellow
  6 c red
  6 c green
  8 c green
  12 c brown
  12 c red
  16 c red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

A very rare misprint '6' instead of '16' CANDAREEN (the left hand side Chinese inscription is still 'sixteen'). Ex-Ferrary.

Genuinely cancelled stamps?

There exist many types and forgeries of these stamps (20 forgeries existed already in the early 20th century according to 'Album Weeds'). Already in 1874 Dr.Magnus warns for 2 different types of forgeries in 'Le Timbre Poste No. 134, page 16. The English numerals in the bottom label exists in so-called 'antique' or 'ordinary' style. The value inscription exists in 'CANDAREEN' or 'CANDAREENS'. The genuine stamps should have 7 bristles in the beard of the dragon according to Album Weeds. Note that the outer frame line is thick and broken in the corners. The vertical and horizontal frame in the inner of the stamp consists of of 8 thinner lines.
For forgeries, see: Shanghai large dragon issues, forgeries, part 1 and Shanghai large dragon issues, forgeries, part 2.

There are several types of these stamps:

1 CANDAREEN, '1' as 'I' and '1' and yet another type of '1' in the third image.

2 CANDAREEN and 2 CANDAREENS. Third stamp has the upper Chinese character of the left 3 characters different (two horizontal lines). The fourth stamp has the altered Chinese character and a larger '2'.

3 CANDAREEN, 3 CANDAREENS and '3' different

4 CANDAREEN, 4 CANDAREENS, the central Chinese character on the left hand side is totally different in these two types (second and third stamp). The fourth stamp has a different '4'.

8 CANDAREENS, the central Chinese character on the left hand side is totally different in these two types.

12 CANDAREENS '1' tall, '1' normal and 'I'. Fourth image with 'I' instead of '1'.

16 CANDAREEN and 16 CANDAREENS, with different '6'

What is this, proof or forgery?

For later issues of Shanghai, (later than 1865), click here, or here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer