China: How To Identify Originals/Reprints C3/ C3 Ne, Trade Union Conference

There is one set of the original/reprint-sets of China that really warms up a collector, and that's C3 ''Trade Union Conference (of Asian and Australasian Countries) ", and especially the very rare and very valuable mint Northeast-set. Identifying it correctly makes all the difference: more than a 1000 dollars to be more precise!


A nice set of mint reprints.

C3 comprises three stamps:
P.R. op China: 100/ 300/ 500
NE China: 5000/ 20.000/ 35.000



There is one difference between originals and reprints.
One is to be found in the fingers of the hand. That fist is much more shaded in the reprints. Especially the thumb stands out as rather dark compared to a much lighter one in originals.


There is another difference mentioned, but from what I have seen this one seems not to be reliable. It is said that the second longitude to the right of the globe does not touch the south pole in originals.

As usual, used original stamps have thick, black, smudgy cancellations, while reprints almost always show a light CTO, often neatly in one corner.


A used, original set.

The 100/300 and NE 5000/ 20.000 stamps seem to be far more common than the 500 and NE 35.000 stamp.

Values

P.R. of China: Originals mint 45, used 20 dollar
Reprints mint 5, used 3 dollar
NE China: Originals mint 1000 or more, used 300-400 dollar
Reprints mint 10, used 3 dollar

Mint original NE-stamps are very much sought after and can be sold for over a 1000 dollar, and even used ones fetch hundreds of dollars! A set with tabs was even sold for thousands of dollars...

Reprint NE-stamps can be bought quite cheaply, but there are sellers who offer them at an inflated price. The reason may be the strange valuation in some catalogues... Yang values them at 130 dollar mint and 60 used! I'm gonna sell some of mine, so the proof will be in the pudding...