China Dragon Stamps

One of the most prominent and enduring symbols of Chineseculture is the dragon. Symbolizing goodfortune among other things, the image of the traditional Asian dragon iscaptured in many rare antique Chinese dragon stamps. Luckily finding these antique China dragonstamps available for sale on eBay or through other dealer outlets is a loteasier than tracking down a real dragon.

China dragon stamps are a variety of Chinese postage stamps. In ancient Chinese culture, dragons are a symbol of power and pelf. Mailing system existed in China even during Marco Polo's time. It did not require postage stamps. Robert Hart, an Englishman, modernized the ancient Chinese mailing system. Consequently, Chinese public started using postage stamps from 1878. There are both historic and contemporary China Dragon Stamps.

The first set of Chinese postage stamps bore dragon's image. These were square shaped postage stamps. A single large dragon occupied the central rectangular part of these stamps. A larger box outlined this smaller rectangle. Effectively, a gap existed on all sides of the smaller rectangle. Gaps above and below the dragon contain information in English. The gaps on either sides of the dragon contain information in Chinese script. Ancient China Dragon stamps are uncommon.

These are available in different colors including red, brown, green, and orange. These are single color stamps. The images of dragon are outlines. The stamp's worth is printed on the left and right corners under the dragon. Large dragon stamps are available for 1, 3, and 5 candarins. There is a lot of demand for old Chinese dragon stamps. Collectors are willing to pay approximately $52 today for each of these stamps. This price, however, varies depending upon the condition of the stamp.

In addition to these stamps, there were postcards of 1-cent with Dragon stamp. These postcards were printed in 1901. Qing dynasty ruled China in that period. Collectors are willing to pay almost $90 for such post cards. Such postcards were used even in 1910 and subsequent years. In 1988, China celebrated 110th anniversary of large dragon stamps by issuing new set of large dragon stamps. These may be bought from various online websites for a dollar each.