Issued in 1893 by the Shanghai Municipal Post, this mint never hinged block of four postage due stamps bears a typographic design in deep mahogany purple with overprint in black indicating a 20 cents due amount. The stamp features bilingual inscriptions including “POSTAGE DUE” and “SHANGHAI MUNICIPALITY” alongside Chinese text referencing the Ministry of Industry. Printed by Barkley and Fira in London, this issue was used for recovering unpaid local and foreign correspondence fees within the international settlement of Shanghai. Typography printed on watermarked paper bearing Chinese characters and perforated 13½ x 14, the stamps are well-centered with even margins and strong impressions. The block remains post office fresh with clean gum and no faults, representing one of the higher denominations in the series. An exceptional and visually striking positional multiple from China’s most prominent treaty port. Scott SH J20. Estimate "$260 – 300"