Shanghai Local Post

Beautiful! I've never seen anything like it.

Here are scans of two other Shanghai Local Post stamps of the same design I posted above.  Some catalogues do not recognize this design as being denominated in "cash," but do recognize denominations both in "candarin" and "cents."  I have attached a scan of a Chinese "holed" 1 cash coin, the main circulating coin for over two millennium in China.  These were cast out of copper.  China began machine minting coins in the 1860-70.  By the time of the fall of the Manchu (Ching or Qing) Dynasty in 1912, machine minted copper coins of higher denominations (mainly 10 cash) and lower copper content had become the primary medium of exchange.  One cash holed coins have a diameter slightly larger than a U.S. quarter, while the diameter of the minted 10 cash coins is slightly less than a U.S. half dollar but thinner. The one cash holed coins used to be strung together (by running a string through the hole and tying the ends together) to make up greater units.  It was just easier to carry and pay 20 cash with two minted ten cash coins than with a bundle of 20 one cash holed coins of larger size and weight.  Again, Shanghai Local Post stamps of this design and other designs have been counterfeited for over 130 years.  Anyone who can provide more information about the stamps pictured would be greatly appreciated.

Looks like I got the other half of vikingek 's bisect.  Anybody who has any Shanghai Locals should post them in this thread to show as many as possible for future reference.  Thanks, Mike