Lot
485 
Japan, 1874, Cherry Blossom, 6s violet brown, native paper, with syllabic 8 ("Chi"), position 8, traces of o.g., usual rough perforations commonly associated with this issue, strong bold color, production pinhole at lower left, Fine; with 2016 Philatelic Federation of Japan certificate. J.S.C.A. No. 23 ¥5,000,000 ($42,000). Scott No. 29 $25,000.
AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE MINT EXAMPLE OF THE 1874 6 SEN CHERRY BLOSSOM ISSUE ON NATIVE PAPER, SYLLABIC 8 ("CHI").
The 1874 6s Cherry Blossom was issued to meet the demand for registered and overweight mail that followed from the new uniform postal rates. It was the very first Japanese issue bearing syllabics. There were twelve different syllabics produced, in small quantities and for only a short period of time, with most completely selling out at the post offices. The native paper was of poor quality, and was quickly replaced by foreign paper as soon as sufficient stock became available; this stamp was only sold for about a month.
A small number of mint sheets of syllabic 1 ("i") and 2 ("ro") were exported by the government, while all other mint syllabics, including the "chi" syllabic, come from those that were bought at local post offices and then kept in mint condition. Today, syllabics 7 ("to") and 8 ("chi") are thought to be the rarest of these issues in mint condition, with only a few examples of each known.
Realized: $6,500