Issued in 1903 for use in the French post office at Tchongking (modern Chongqing), this stamp belongs to the Indo-Chinese “Navigation and Commerce” definitive series and reflects the localized adaptations made for use in China's interior treaty ports. The base design, created by Louis-Eugène Mouchon, features allegorical female figures representing Trade and Peace, a recurring motif in French colonial philately. Printed in red-brown with a deep blue "INDO-CHINE" label, the stamp originally held a face value of 2 French centimes. It has been overprinted in black with the name TCHONGKING and a Chinese value surcharge reading "五仙之四" (literally “4 of 5 cents” or 4/5 cent), denoting its value in Chinese currency. This kind of fractional denomination highlights the administrative complexity and specificity of colonial mail systems in multi-currency environments. The stamp was typographically printed on chamois-colored paper at the Imperial Printing Office in Paris and perforated 14 x 13½. The current specimen is unused with heavy hinge remnants and gum disturbance on the reverse, though the front remains well-centered with a clean, sharp overprint. Catalogued as Michel FR-IC B18V, Scott FR-TCH 2, Yvert et Tellier FR-TCH 33, and Stanley Gibbons FR-TCH 2, this issue is prized for its overprint precision and its role in illustrating Franco-Chinese postal exchange during the final decades of the Qing empire.
Estimate "$75 – 100"