Japanese Stamps Digital Museum

旧小判切手 2 << 1876年(明治9年) ~ 1879年(明治12年) >> みほん 1-2-2

Koban stamp (old Koban stamp2) - Specimen -
Issued on 1876(Meiji9)-1879(Meiji12)

Koban stamp (old Koban stamp2), Issued May 17, 1876 (Meiji 9) - Specimen - In 1876 (Meiji 9), to cope with the rapidly increasing postal volume, a new stamp incorporating the internationally accepted English sentence "IMPERIAL JAPANESE POST" was issued in place of Hand carved(Etched) stamps by modern printing technology. It is called an "Koban stamp". It is similar to the large gold coin "Koban" in the Edo period, and is classified into Old Koban, U Koban, and New Koban.

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The above is only true for specimen stamps.
For more information and official printed stamps, see this.
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