Indochina #246 Variety - 1944 Rare Unused Dark Red Variety

Originally intended to be released alongside the same design in 4c and 10c denominations, this scarce 20c dark red stamp picturing Auguste Pavie, the first Governor-General of Laos, was not released without a "Viet Nam" overprint until after the end of World War II. However, a small number of the non-overprinted stamps made it into the hands of collectors and is noted as a footnote in the catalog.