HONG KONG.- Zurich Asia will hold its Hong Kong spring auction on Sunday 25 and Monday 26 March 2018 at Harbour Plaza North Point Hotel, offering 3,000 lots of philatelic treasures, banknotes and coins. Of particular note is the offer of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen New York Print Collection of Huang Ming Fang, Part II, which is expected to arouse enormous interest among collectors. There will be a public preview on 23 and 24 March from 10am to 6pm.

Leading the sale is an extremely rare 1941 Dr. Sun Yat Sen New York print inverted centre $2 black and blue stamp (Estimate: HK$1,200,000-1,400,000/ US$153,846-179,487, Lot 631). Featuring a distinctively inverted central portrait of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, only one sheet of 50 examples was released, making this error stamp amongst the rarest and most valuable items of Chinese philately. In excellent mint condition with full original gum, never hinged, it comes with a Pascal Scheller certificate of 2007.

Another star lot is a very rare 1922 Surcharge on Peking first print Junk, 2 cents on 3 cents, in red on blue green with inverted surcharge (Estimate: HK$1,000,000-1,200,000/ US$128,205-153,846, Lot 608). It is in fresh condition on both sides and carries a Peter Holcome pencil signature on the reverse.

A very rare 1914 First Peking print, $2 black and blue Hall of Classics stamp with inverted centre (Estimate: HK$1,000,000-1,200,000/ US$128,205-153,846, Lot 587) is a further highlight. In mint condition, with dry gum, this highly coveted error stamp comes with a Pascal Scheller certificate of 2009 and is expected to attract strong bidding from discerning collectors.

A complete sheet of 80 stamps from 1980 The Year of the Monkey (“Golden Monkey”) in very fresh condition and shiny gold colour (Estimate: HK$1,200,000-1,300,000/ US$153,846– 166,667, Lot 3114).

A complete set of three sheets of 1885 Small Dragon stamps of 1 candarin, 3 candarins and 5 candarins. All in complete sheets of 40 stamps, the 3 candarins and 5 candarins both with several pencil signatures on the reverse, with full original gum, never hinged and unfolded. This is an extremely rare set and the 3 candarins sheet is probably the nicest available sheet in the market (Estimate: HK$1,000,000-1,200,000/ US$ US$128,205-153,846, Lot 219).

Other highlights of the sale:

A 1913 London print, Hall of Classics, $10 black and yellow block of 10 stamps with left sheet margin, centre folded with horizontal perforations partially split at left vertical pair (Estimate: HK$400,000-500,000/ US$51,282-64,102, Lot 589). In mint condition with full original gum, never hinged, this rare block is the largest recorded multiple.

A very rare 1946 Overprinted ‘Limited For Use in North East’ in black on Sun Yat Sen New York print 1 cent orange, which was prepared for use, but finally not issued (Estimate: HK$200,000-250,000/ US$25,641-32,051, Lot 2011). Unmounted, in mint condition, with full original gum, from the Huang Ming Fang Collection, this is the only copy that has ever been seen on the market.