Lot# 8021

four singles of the 30c green, one 50c red, one 100c violet (showing partial watermark “...ING”), and one block of four of the 30c bearing the watermark “DORLING ... LOND ...”. The fourth issue was lithographed at the Tainan Printing Office during the final days of the Republic on thicker, more rigid paper than earlier issues, with a straighter tiger’s tail, bolder inscriptions, and more structured design. This issue was printed but never released, as the collapse of the Formosan Republic and subsequent Japanese occupation of Tainan in October 1895 halted its distribution, making it the final, unissued production of the short-lived Republic’s postal system. Most surviving examples of this issue show washed or deteriorated ink, while the present group remains fresh and complete, exhibiting all three denominations and distinct watermark features. An exceptionally rare and significant assembly for the study of the printing methods and unissued issues of the late Formosan Republic. Mizuhara "Huayou Jijin II" vol. 7, p.278.