The 30¢ stamp was probably issued in early April, 1869, and has as its earliest known use, a cover from New York to Hong Kong, dated May 22, 1869. The 30¢ stamp has a largest known mint block of six, although there is a block of 15 of the 30¢ stamp without grill, and the largest known used multiple is a block of 12. Used blocks of the 30¢ are quite common, and there are known to be approximately 20 such used blocks in existence today.
Approximately 60 covers with the 30¢ stamps are recorded to date, and approximately 25 of them were sent to France, usually paying either the two or four times the treaty rate in 1869 of 15¢ per quarter ounce. The 30¢ stamp was also used to the following destinations: Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, India, Spain, Italy, England, Norway, the Philippines, Java, China, Peru and Japan.
THE INVERT
The inverted center stamp was caused by a printing error, sheets were inadvertently placed in the wrong direction before the blue color of the vignette was applied.
