HONG KONG.- Zurich Asia, the leading stamp auction house in Asia, concluded its two-day auction of philatelic treasures of imperial and modern China at Harbour Plaza Hotel North Point in Hong Kong on 23 & 24 August 2015 with excellent results. Nearly 3,800 lots of superb philatelic items were offered.

There was enormous interest for a diversity of the sought-after 1980 Year of the Monkey (“Golden Monkey”) stamps, highlighted by a complete sheet of 80 stamps in shiny gold colour which achieved HK$1,265,000 (US$162,180).

Bidding was intense for a selection of exceptional covers from the Liberated Areas. The highlight was a 1947 (18 Oct.) cover bearing a pair of the rare Chairman Mao $10 light blue stamps of North East China Local Posts, Tung Hua print which achieved HK$805,000 (US$103,205), more than doubling its pre-sale high estimate. It also set a world auction record for a cover from the Liberated Area. This extremely unusual offering is tied by a ‘LIAONING/FENGDONG’ circular date stamp and a ‘KIREN/29.11.47’ arrival date stamp.

Philatelic treasures formerly in the Mizuhara Collection were highly sought-after in the sale and aroused competitive bidding. Among them was a 1936 (7 Sept.) cover bearing the rare Chairman Mao $5 scarlet stamp of Liao Ning Posts, Tung Hua print which realized HK$437,000 (US$56,026), well above its pre-sale high estimate. It was mailed from Guard Company at Tunghua, 4th Military sub-district, Liaoning Military District to Comrade Gao Peng 1st Company, 6th Regiment 2nd Division of Yanji-xian, Jiandao Province. It was tied by 'TUNGHUA' circular date stamp, with complete Unable to Send post office receipt attached on front, and further tied by 'YANJI/15,1,47' arrival circular date stamp.

Another highly coveted lot from the Mizuhara Collection was a pair of 1948 (9 May) doubled registered covers that fetched HK$437,000 (US$56,026), far exceeding pre-sale expectations. One of the covers was mailed from Antung to Zaohegou, bearing ten Che-Teh and Chairman Mao $10 rose red stamps, as well as a 4th handsurcharged on Che-Teh and Chairman Mao $150 on $10 rose red stamp. The other cover was from Tianshifu to Antung, bearing the Chairman Mao $100 scarlet stamp and the 4th handsurcharged on Che-Teh and Chairman Mao $150 on $10 rose red stamp.

Also from the Mizuhara Collection was a 1946 (10 Aug.) cover from Zhaoyuan to Harbin, bearing a 50 cents violet blue Dove of Peace stamp of Chaoyuan print that sold for HK$276,000 (US$35,385). It was tied by a 'ZHAOYUAN' circular date stamp, and on the reverse with a 'HARBIN/7.9.46' arrival circular date stamp. The Dove of Peace used on the cover is extremely rare in the market and this is the first one ever encountered by Zurich Asia.

The star lot in the imperial China section was a unique 1897 Dowager Mollendorf printing of a block of four bright yellow-green 9 candarins which achieved HK$437,000 (US$56,026). Imperforate horizontally between the stamps, this block comprises two vertical pairs that are imperforate between. Only four examples of this variety have been recorded. This extremely rare block in fresh colour and very fine mint condition was formerly in the private collection of esteemed collector Huang Ming Fang.