1912 Coiling Dragon, Jumping Carp, Flying Geese and Postage Due issues ovpt. “Provisional Neutrality” and “Republic of China / Provisional Neutrality” complete set of 46 (Chan 140-143, PN1-11, 144-151, RPN1-7, D17-22, DU5-6, DU7-14), MH. A rarely seen once-and-for-all chance for acquiring the complete set of “Provisional Neutrality” issue.
After the Wuchang Revolution in October 1911, the Republic of China was founded. The postal authorities ordered the Statistical Department of Customs at Shanghai to overprint horizontally four Chinese characters meaning “Provisional Neutrality” on the unwatermarked coiling dragon stamps of fifteen different denominations for issue. However, the Republican Government criticized this wording as incorrect and ordered that all stamps with such overprint should be suspended from sale and returned to the Shanghai General Post Office for further processing. But some stamps of 3 cents, $1, $2 and $5 denominations had already been put on sale at Foochow post offices for a few days in early February 1912. It was ordered that the four Chinese characters meaning “Provisional Neutrality” overprinted on the returned stamps should be deleted and replaced by another four characters meaning “Republic of China”. However, the Statistical Department did not follow it out but just additionally overprinted the words “Republic of China” on the stamps vertically so that the two overprints formed a cross. The stamps were then distributed to district post offices for sale. But the Republican Government insisted that it was still improper if the words “Provisional Neutrality” were not deleted. And again, an order to withhold the stamps from sale was given. As before, some of these stamps had already been sold at the Nanking, Hankow and Changsha post offices.
The stamps were subsequently destroyed, saved for archival copies in the Directorate-General of Posts. Before Madam Chiang Kaishek visited USA, a few complete sets were handpicked to gift to President Roosevelt and other senior officials. The President’s set was auctioned off by Harman after he passed away, and other sets also found their way to the market. Only 5 complete sets are believed to have survived.
1912年蟠龍、躍鯉、飛雁及大清欠資票加蓋「臨時中立」及「中華民國 / 臨時中立」大全46枚新（陳目140-143, PN1-11, 144-151, RPN1-7, D17-22, DU5-6, DU7-14），包含已發行及印備而未發行之所有面額，背貼。
1911年10月武昌起義，革命成功，民國成立，郵政當局令上海海關造冊處將無水印蟠龍票十五種面值，加蓋橫排「臨時中立」四字發行。民國政府認為加蓋文字欠妥，着令停售，並將全部郵票繳回上海總局。但福州郵局於一九一二年二月初，已將叁分、壹圓、貳圓及伍圓四種面值之郵票發售數日。繳回總局之「臨時中立」加蓋票,奉令將該四字塗去,再加蓋「中華民國」四字。但上海海關造冊處僅加上直排之「中華民國」四字,與原來之「臨時中立」四字成十字形,分發各地郵局。惟民國政府認為未將「臨時中立」四字劃去,仍屬不妥,又令停止發售及繳回。但南京、漢口及長沙等郵局已有部份售出。郵票繳回後隨即銷毀，郵政總局只留下少量存檔。1943年，宋美齡赴美，從檔案中精挑細選了數組臨時中立大全套郵票，作為國禮，送贈酷愛集郵的羅斯福總統，及其他美國高層官員，羅斯福總統逝世後，其遺集付拍流出，其他全套也隨後流出。故大全套存世大概只有五套。