Chinese Republic Junk 4 Cents Postage Stamp with Surcharge

This item is a vintage Chinese Republic postage stamp, specifically a 4 cents stamp from the 'Junk' series, featuring a surcharge. The stamp depicts a traditional Chinese junk sailing vessel at its center, rendered in an intricate, somewhat muted green or teal ink, possibly with black detailing. Above and around the central image are Chinese characters, predominantly in black, with some in red. Notably, there is a red surcharge visible over a portion of the junk and the original denomination, indicating a change in postal value. The primary denomination is black '4' in the lower left corner and 'Cts' in the lower right, with 'REPUBLIC OF CHINA POSTAGE' printed in English between them. The overall color scheme combines shades of green/teal, black, and red, against a white paper background. The stamp exhibits characteristic perforation along all four edges, although some perforations show slight wear and tear, indicating it has been handled or removed from a collection. A heavy, dark cancellation mark, likely applied by a postal service, diagonally crosses the stamp from approximately the upper right to the lower left, obscuring parts of the design and the surcharge. This cancellation suggests the stamp was used for postage. The paper appears to be of standard stamp paper quality, with some minor discoloration visible around the edges consistent with age. This stamp likely dates from the early to mid-20th century, specifically during the Republic of China era, and belongs to a period well-known for its philatelic issues depicting Chinese cultural and historical elements. The craftsmanship is typical of national postal issues, with fine line engraving capturing details of the vessel and script.