Heilongjiang Province (黑龍江省) Local Issue, Bei’an (北安)

Bei’an (北安) – Date of Liberation: 19 August 1945, first magistrate: Liu Tieqiao (劉鐵樵)

[huge_it_maps id=”43″]
This map only gives rough impression about area and location.

1st stamp issue (Kerr 160.1-5, X6):

Provisional Issue: Stamps Overprinted "Chinese Postal Service Temporarily Used"
Issued:October 1945
Issued by:Bei’an Postal Administration (北安郵政管理局)
Overprint"Chinese Postal Service Temporarily Used" ("中華郵政 暫用")
Overprint method:Hand-overprinted with wooden chop
Currency:Manchukuo Yuan (滿洲國圓)
Not all stamps of this issue shown here.
The 6 分  denomination can be found often used on commercial covers I have here a different opinion as Kerr and believe this stamp was regularly issued.

Cover:


Trade Prices 2018 (USD)
(★)
Kerr Cat. No.Remarks
2 分blackish yellow greenK13
--,--
50,00
160.1engraved
3 分blackish brownK13
--,--
--,--
160.2engraved
5 分oliv blackK13
50,00
30,00
160.3lithography
6 分red orangeK13
--,--
60,00
160.X6lithography
10 分rose redK13
--,--
40,00
160.4-5lithography
30 分blackish brown orangeK13
--,--
60,00
--engraved
Set of 6


2nd stamp issue (Kerr 160.7-8):

Provisional Issue: Stamps Overprinted "Chinese Postal Service Temporarily Used" and Surcharged
Issued:February 1946
Issued by:Bei’an Postal Administration (北安郵政管理局)
Overprint"Chinese Postal Service Temporarily Used" and Surcharged ("中華郵政 暫作" 改值郵票)
Overprint method:Hand-overprinted with rubber chop
Currency:Northeast Currency (東北幣)
All stamps of this issue shown here.

Cover:

Some comments about used and used stamp of this issue:
There are significant differences between all postally used and unused stamps (I call them early and late overprints), for example:
– the ink used for the overprints is blacker
– ink was much less liquid which gives a dry impression
– fine structures look more rough
– more distinctly damages of the hand stamp.
All unused stamps show these characteristics. If we put all characteristics together it leads only to the explanation that all unused stamps were produced later by stamp dealers for collectors using the worn original hand stamp. By implication there is also no used stamp known which comes with the characteristics of an unsed stamp which, this prove the theory.

Trade Prices 2018 (USD)
(★)
Kerr Cat. No.Remarks
1 元 / 2 分blackish yellow greenK13
15,00
20,00
160.7engraved
5 元 / 12 分blackish orangeK13
20,00
25,00
160.8engraved
Set of 2
35,00
45,00


3rd stamp issue (Kerr 160.9-16):

Provisional Issue: Stamps Overprinted "Chinese Postal Service Temporarily Used" and Surcharged
Issued:July 1946
Issued by:Bei’an Postal Administration (北安郵政管理局)
Overprint"Chinese Postal Service Temporarily Used" and Surcharged ("中華郵政 暫作" 改值郵票)
Overprint method:Hand-overprinted with wooden chop
Currency:Northeast Currency (東北幣)
All stamps of this issue shown here.

Black overprint:

Cover:

Purple overprint:

Red overprint:


Trade Prices 2018 (USD)
(★)
Kerr Cat. No.Remarks
1 元 / 2 分blackish yellow green K13
10,00
30,00
160.9engraved, black overprint
5 元 / 12 分blackish orangeK13
10,00
--,--
160.10engraved, black overprint
5 元 / 39 分blackish blueK13
20,00
--,--
160.11engraved, black overprint
1 元 / 2 分blackish yellowish greenK13
10,00
--,--
160.12engraved, purple overprint
1 元 / 2 分blackish yellow green K13
10,00
--,--
160.13engraved, purple overprint
5 元 / 12 分blackish orangeK13
10,00
--,--
160.14engraved, purple overprint
1 元 / 2 分blackish yellow green K13
15,00
50,00
160.15engraved, red overprint
5 元 / 12 分blackish orangeK13
10,00
--,--
160.16engraved, red overprint
Set of 8
95,00
--,--


Remarks:
– All shown sets exists (at least some stamps of each set) genuine used on domestic covers.
– Please be careful not to mix up this stamp issue with the very similar (bogus) issue Kerr 161.1-12 which used the same chop for overprint but in a different more soft purple color shade. The green arrows shows some characteristics you can found often for Kerr 161:

Not shown:
– I can’t confirm the commercial use of Kerr 160.12-14 (soft purple surcharge), but it was from some side reported.