| 321 | THE VERY RARE "REGISTERED"-REMOVED OVAL "KIUNG-CHOW" DATESTAMP - THE UNIQUE(?) USAGE CANCELLING INGOING U.S. POSTAL STATIONERY CARD.; Remarkable 20th Jan. 1885 usage of the US 1c Black Postal Stationery Postcard (HG 6; some slight toning at right & filing note partly across address) uprated with US 1c grey-blue (SG207) from "San Francisco" addressed to "Hoihow, Island of Hainan, China via Hong Kong". The card escaped cancellation in America and at Hong Kong (v. fine 27th Feb. transit c.d.s. on the reverse), and so it was cancelled in transit to Hoihow with three overlapping mostly very fine strikes of the extremely rare oval "KIUNG·CHOW" datestamp (Type Cii; the word "REGISTERED" having been removed from the top) with code "A". Astonishing and rare item (first discovered in 1997); only two other examples of this oval datestamp have been recorded on cover, and this is a very rare example of US Stationery cancelled at a Treaty Port Post Office. Marvellous matching item to the outgoing Postcard usage of this datestamp sold in Cavendish's First Chan Auction, 6th March 2003, for £5,520. With RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2001). PHOTO | £4,000-£6,000 | |||||||||
| 322 | THE FAMOUS 10c PAIR WITH FINE RARE OVAL "REGISTERED"-REMOVED "KIUNG-CHOW" DATESTAMP; 1884 10c Green Pair (rejoined where perfs. separated; a few faults/small defects; SG.37a) with practically complete and excellent strike of this very rare oval datestamp (Webb Type Cii) for "9 AU 84". Stunning and probably Unique Item; this constitutes a remarkable achievement to have brought these two stamps back together again after they had been in different collections for many years. It is thought that no other multiples with this cancellation have been recorded; Webb only recorded 8 loose stamps with partial strikes. Upper stamp ex Ishikawa; pair with RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). PHOTO | £4,000-£6,000 | |||||||||
| 323 | "HAINAN/SAMAH LAND-POST" COVER TO HONG KONG WITH "CUSTOMS/KIUNGCHOW" BACKSTAMP AND THE CACHETS IN RED; 15th May 1896 env. (addressee's surname crossed through) to Kowloon franked by a Hong Kong 5c blue tied by a fine "HONG·KONG/B" c.d.s., having very fine red boxed "HAINAN/SAMAH/LAND/POST" (manuscript "15.5.96" date in centre) and very fine red 2-ring "HAI/SAMAH/NAN" marks nicely placed on the front. There is a mostly fine 2-ring "CUSTOMS/+ [KI]UNGCHOW +" c.d.s. on the flap. Exhibition Item. Plus part front with very fine strikes of these same two Hainan marks also in red, but the boxed type with no date in centre. (2 items). Cover with Peter Holcombe Certificate of Genuineness (1992). PHOTO | £3,000-£4,000 | |||||||||
| 324 | RARE SAMAH LAND-POST COVER TO WHAMPOA WITH "CUSTOMS/KIUNGCHOW" DATESTAMP WITH THE CACHETS IN BLACK; Most attractive 22nd Aug. 1894 env. (opened out for display) sent from Hainan to "Whampoa", franked by Hong Kong 5c pale blue (small paper adherence at left) tied by a very fine "HONG·KONG/B" transit c.d.s., having very fine black boxed "HAINAN/SAMAH/LAND/POST" mark with manuscript "22.8.94" date in centre, with matching very fine black 2-ring "HAI/SAMAH/NAN" mark both nicely placed on the front. There are also a partial 25th Aug. 2-ring "C[USTOMS]/+ KIUNGCHOW [+]" c.d.s. and a very fine 1st Sept. "CANTON/*" c.d.s. on the reverse. Major Exhibition Piece of Great Appeal. [The similar cover to Germany in Cavendish's "Norman Bennett" auction, 25th May 2002, lot 942, sold for £8,050]. PHOTO | £4,000-£6,000 | |||||||||
| LIU KUNG TAU POSTAL HISTORY, 1899-1915 | |||||||||||
| 325 | THE RARE PURPLE OVAL "LIU KUNG TAU/* POST OFFICE *" DATESTAMP ON UNDERPAID COVER TO G.B.; Attractive 13th Dec. 1899 env. (very minor faults) to Glastonbury (21st Jan. 1900 arrival c.d.s. on back) franked by Hong Kong QV 4c grey tied by a very fine strike of this rare Type A double-oval datestamp in bright purple, slightly overstruck by a fine "HONG·KONG/C" c.d.s., but also with a superb small Hong Kong "T" in circle on the front, and so also with a superb London "3D/F.B./B" arrival charge-mark nearby. Very rare and spectacular Exhibition Item. [Ex Houston and Burghard]. PHOTO | £2,000-£3,000 | |||||||||
| 326 | THE RARE BLUE-BLACK "LIU KUNG TAU/* POST OFFICE *" OVAL DATESTAMP ON MUCH-TRAVELLED CARD FROM G.B. TO WEI-HAI-WEI VIA NEW ZEALAND, ALSO HAVING BOXER REBELLION "F.P.O. No.9" DATESTAMP; 10th April 1900 usage of the G.B. 1d Red Postal Stationery PC (minor creasing and some edge-wear) from Newmarket to New Zealand "Via San Francisco" but redirected to "Wei-Hai-Wei, British China" with a superb scarce 18th Sept. 1900 Boxer Rebellion "F.P.O. No.9" c.d.s. on the front, and with a superb blue-black double-oval Type A "LIU KUNG TAU/* POST OFFICE *" datestamp nicely placed on the reverse, along with Auckland (22nd May) and 3 HK (18th July - 29th Sept.) datestamps. The FPO 9 c.d.s. was not previously allocated to a specific place, but the dates of the marks on this card suggest that it was in fact used at Wei Hai Wei. The addressee was never found and the card is endorsed "NOT CLAIMED" on the front with a fine purple boxed London "Undelivered...." cachet. Most attractive example of this rarity; Webb only recorded 5 covers with this datestamp, and we have only recorded two more, including this card. Apparently this card was intended not to find its addressee, and so was a "Round-the-World" card sent for only 1d; it returned to Newmarket on 12th Nov. 1900. Exhibition Quality. PHOTO (front) PHOTO (back) | £2,000-£3,000 | |||||||||
| 327 | THE FAMOUS UPRATED USAGE OF THE HONG KONG Q.V. REGD. ENV. TO G.B. CANCELLED BY THE VERY RARE PURPLE OVAL "LIU KUNG TAU/* POST OFFICE *" DATESTAMP; Colourful 4th July 1901 usage of the small QV 10c lilac Registered Postal Stationery Envelope to London from a Sapper in the "1/44th Co. R[oyal] E[ngineers], Wei Hai Wei", uprated with Hong Kong QV 10c blue + 4c grey (2) + 2c green, all cancelled/tied by mostly very fine strikes of the rare Type A oval datestamps in pale purple. This actual cover is listed by Webb (p.334) as the latest of the five covers that he recorded. Dramatic and Rare Exhibition Item. [The similar regd. env., but to Gibraltar and with only a 10c, was sold by Cavendish in the "Norman Bennett" auction, 25th May 2002, for £8,050, lot 994.] [Ex Burghard, 1961 & Hopkins/Tripp, 1956, also ex P. Padget:- illustrated in Bishop, Morton & Sayers, 1934, Plate 50]. PHOTO | £6,000-£8,000 | |||||||||
| 328 | TYPE C "LIU-KUNG-TAU" DATESTAMP ON CARD TO G.B. WITH "CHEFOO/BRITISH P.O." C.D.S.; 7th Aug. 1908 PPC to the Isle of Wight franked (on the picture side) by a KEVII 4c red tied by a very fine "A"-code Type C c.d.s., having a very fine 2-ring "CHEFOO/BRITISH P.O." c.d.s. on the address side. Attractive. PHOTO | £100-£140 | |||||||||
| 329 | THE VERY RARE BOXED "R/LIU KUNG TAU:B.P.O./No.[553]" MARK ON SIZE H REGD. ENV. TO G.B.; 24th Aug. 1915 usage of the Hong Kong Size H (200x126 mm) KGV 10c lilac Postal Stationery regd. env. (minor tone-marks and creasing at left end) used to London, uprated with two KGV 4c reds, all cancelled/tied with very fine Type C "D"-code "LIU-KUNG-TAU" c.d.s.'s. There is also a mostly very fine strike of the very rare boxed "R/LIU KUNG TAU:B.P.O./No.[553]" mark (Webb only recorded a single 1911 example) on the front. Very rare Registration Mark; the only example that we have recorded. Important Exhibition Item. PHOTO | £750-£1,000 | |||||||||
| NINGPO POSTAL HISTORY, 1870-1911 | |||||||||||
| 330 | BLUE "N1" CANCELS ON 32c-RATE COVER SENT TO G.B. JUST BEFORE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 3d BRINDISI-ROUTE SURCHARGE; 24th Aug. 1870 env. to Kent "Via Marseilles" franked by Hong Kong 24c green (few short perfs.) and 8c orange (cut wing margin at left) both tied by light strikes of the "N1" numeral in Blue. There are also very fine c.d.s.'s of "A/NINGPO" (24th Aug., in blue), "HONG·KONG" (30th Aug.) and "LONDON S.E" (19th Oct.) on the reverse. This is the matching cover to the 5th Sept. 1870 cover from the same correspondence (Cavendish's first Chan auction, lot 200) which had the "BRINDISI ROUTE...3d" charge-mark (which was used on mail arriving in London from at least as early as 30th Oct. 1870). The cover in this lot appears to have passed through France in the last "Via Marseilles" mail before its replacement by the Belgian/Brindisi route, because the Marseilles route was suspended (due to the Franco-Prussian War) from 20th Oct. 1870, and this letter reached London the previous day (19th Oct. 1870). Remarkable item from this last pre-Brindisi surcharge mail. [Ex Ishikawa, 1980, lot 572]. PHOTO | £2,000-£3,000 | |||||||||
| 331 | 1863-71 2c and 8c (small faults) cancelled "N1" in blue overstruck "S1", fine strikes. SG.Z653, Z656. PHOTO | £200-£240 | |||||||||
| 332 | 1876-77 16c on 18c Lilac, boldly cancelled "N1" overstruck by equally bold "S1", fine. SG.Z665. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 333 | 1880 5c on 8c to 10c on 24c, set of four, cancelled "N1", fine, the last has a thin spot. SG.Z668-70, Z672. | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 334 | 1880 5c on 18c Lilac, perfectly cancelled by upright "N1", extremely fine. SG.Z669. PHOTO | £100-£120 | |||||||||
| 335 | 1880 10c on 12c Blue and 10c on 24c green, both with wing margins at left, cancelled "N1", fine to very fine. SG.Z670, Z672. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 336 | A selection of "N1" cancellations, good to fine strikes, a few faults or defects. (7). | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 337 | THE VERY RARE NINGPO "RHOMBOID OF DOTS" CANCEL ON STAMPED 10c-RATE COVER TO G.B.; 30th May 1895 env. (minor wrinkling and some toning barely detract) to London franked by Hong Kong 5c blue pair each cancelled by very fine "Rhomboid of Dots" marks (Webb Type C; rated "RRR" on cover in 1991); both tied by very fine small "C/NINGPO" Type B c.d.s.'s with a further strike of the c.d.s. alongside.Very few covers are known with this unusual cancellation which is even rare on loose stamps, but which appears to have only been in use for 12 months from 1895 to 1896. Important Exhibition Item. [The similar Postcard in Cavendish's first Chan auction, 6th March 2003, sold for £2,530, lot 205.] PHOTO | £2,000-£3,000 | |||||||||
| 338 | THE VERY RARE NINGPO "RHOMBOID OF DOTS" CANCEL ON PIECE WITH 8x2c REDS; 7th Nov. 1895 Piece with 12 examples of the Hong Kong 2c red placed like a Block (actually Strips of four & three + 1 single; some perf. faults with glue-stains, and other minor faults) all tied by very fine Type B "C/NINGPO" datestamps and also all additionally cancelled by mostly very fine Rhomboids of Dots (Webb Type C). Remarkable Multiple with this Dotted Cancel. PHOTO | £750-£1,000 | |||||||||
| 339 | Similar 19th Sept. 1895 piece with Strip of Four Hong Kong 2c Reds cancelled by both the Rhomboid of Dots and by the Type B "C/NINGPO" datestamps. Rare thus. PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 340 | "C/NINGPO" DATESTAMP CANCELS ON 10c-RATE COVER TO G.B.; 17th Sept. 1896 env. (faults & opened out for display) to Tunbridge franked by a pair of Hong Kong 10c light blues tied by mostly very fine Type B c.d.s.'s with a further strike alongside. Scarce. | £100-£140 | |||||||||
| 341 | "C/NINGPO" DATESTAMP ON 10c-RATE COVER TO BELGIUM; Bilingually addressed env. (minor wear) to Tournai (redirected to Brussels with two Belgian Postmen's number-in-circle marks on the front) franked by a Hong Kong 10c purple on red tied by a fine Type B "C/NINGPO" c.d.s. with a further very fine strike alongside. Attractive and a rare destination. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 342 | NINGPO USAGE OF THE HONG KONG 4c GREY POSTAL STATIONERY CARD TO U.S.A.; 11th Sept. 1902 usage of the 4c PC (with "VIA BRINDISI & LONDON" erased on the front) to USA cancelled by a very fine Type Ei "NINGPO" c.d.s., having a fine 12th Sept. "SHANGHAI" c.d.s. on the reverse. Rare thus. PHOTO | £120-£160 | |||||||||
| 343 | KEVII FRANKINGS ON MAIL TO U.S. & G.B.; 1910/11 env./PPC to USA/GB franked by KEVII 4cx2+2c or by single 4c respectively, all tied by very fine "D"-code Type F "NINGPO" c.d.s.'s. Good pair. (2 covers). | £100-£140 | |||||||||
| PORT EDWARD/WEI HAI WEI POSTAL HISTORY, 1905 | |||||||||||
| 344 | THE RARE PURPLE BOXED "PORT EDWARD/WEI-HAI-WEI" CANCELLATION ON Q.V. FRANKED CARD TO G.B.; Attractive 23rd Jan. 1905 PPC (very minor edge-wear) to Wales franked by two Hong Kong QV 2c greens just tied by a single superb purple strike of this Type F datestamp. This boxed cancellation is rare on QV franked covers. Exhibition Quality. This cover realised £400 in 1984. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £400-£600 | |||||||||
| SHANGHAI POSTAL HISTORY, 1855-1921 | |||||||||||
| 345 | EARLY LETTERS TO U.S.A. AND TO FRANCE; 5th Sept. 1855 EL (printed "SHANGHAE PRICE CURRENT" contents with detailed lists of Exports) to France posted from "HONG-KONG" (v. fine 12th Sept. c.d.s. on reverse) with a mostly fine 2-ring "ANGL./AMB. CALAIS A" transit c.d.s. and a mere "8" [decimes] handstruck arrival charge-mark, which seems to allow nothing for the British postage from Hong Kong to London (9th Nov. c.d.s. on back). There was no French mailboat service to the Far East until 1862. Plus 2nd Oct. 1855 EL (no postal marks) from "Shanghai" to New York endorsed "Pr. [Ship] Kathay", and 4th Dec. 1844 letter (no address wrapper) from "Shanghai" to "Philadelphia" with long manuscript letter listing Imports, etc. Pre-1850 mail is rare and covers of the 1850s are seldom seen; there were only 90 non-Chinese people in Shanghai during the 1840s. Scarce group. (3 items). PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 346 | THE VERY RARE "SHANGHAE POST OFFICE/[Crown]/PAID" MARKING ON COVER TO AUSTRALIA WITH OVAL "MISSENT TO/VICTORIA/MELBOURNE"; 15th June 1857 E (filing notes slightly across address but well clear of all postal marks) from "Shanghai" (file note) to Sydney "Via Ceylon", with a mostly fine strike of the very rare red (Webb Type 1) encircled "SHANGHAE POST OFFICE/[Crown]/PAID" mark (crossed by light filing fold) on the front with red crayon "4" marking. There is also a very fine red double-oval "MISSENT TO/VICTORIA/MELBOURNE" mark nicely placed on the front. There are three fine to very fine backstamps on the top flap (folds up for display); "HONG-KONG" c.d.s. (20th June), red oval "SHIP LETTER/FREE/GPO·VICTORIA" (3rd Sept.) and "SHIP-LETTER/SYDNEY" (10th Sept.). Webb only recorded three covers with this mark (he illustrates a slightly later example from the same correspondence as this cover), while Pearson (by 1991) had only recorded six more as well as this cover. One of the great rarities of Treaty Port Philately, and apparently a unique "MISSENT" example of the Famous Crown Mark. Exhibition Item.PHOTO | £6,000-£8,000 | |||||||||
| 347 | PRESTAMP "CONSIGNEES" SHIP LETTER TO U.S.A.; 15th Oct. 1858 EL (small stain to right of address barely detracts; neatly folded to show internal heading beside address-panel) from "Shanghai" to New York endorsed "Consignees per [Ship] Eureka" (ref. a consignment of tea sent by the same ship); the ship sailed direct and so there is only a very fine New York encircled "6" arrival charge-mark on the front. Rare early cover to the United States. PHOTO | £200-£300 | |||||||||
| 348 | EARLY INGOING 6d-RATE COVER FROM G.B.; 19th Oct. 1859 E (part family contents ref. Chinese politics, etc.) to "Shanghae, China via Southampton" franked by a Strip of Three 2d Blues (Pl.7) tied by mostly fine "645" numerals of "RIPLEY/SURREY" (c.d.s. on reverse), having a fine "HONG KONG/C" transit c.d.s. (13th Dec.) on the reverse. Rare destination for a 2d Blue cover. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 349 | THE VERY RARE SERIF "SHANGHAE" C.D.S. (WEBB TYPE 5 - WITH UNRECORDED SIDEWAYS "C" CODE) ON INGOING 2/- RATE COVER FROM G.B.; 26th Dec. 1861 E (minor ink-offset on flap) from London to "Shanghai, China, via Marseille" franked by G.B. 1/- green (2; scarce rate) tied by London's double "46" numerals with a very fine red handstruck "1d" mark (1d credit due to the Colony from the prepaid postage) alongside; on the top flap is an 80% complete black Type 5 "SHANGHAE" c.d.s. WITH AN UNRECORDED SIDEWAYS "C" CODE. Webb only recorded two examples of this mark, and Pearson (1991) had still only noted two more. This Sideways code has apparently not been noted before; Webb only records it with the upright C code. One of the rarest of Shanghai marks; thought to have been made locally and only known from Dec. 1861 to Feb. 1862. Exhibition Item. PHOTO | £500-£650 | |||||||||
| 350 | INGOING 3-COLOUR-FRANKING 57c-RATE COVER FROM U.S. VIA FRANCE; Attractive 8th May 1863 env. to "Shanghai, China via Marseille", franked by U.S. 30c orange, 24c lilac & 3c rose (latter overlapping the 24c) all tied by fine "MILWAUKEE/WIS" duplexes with fine red "N. YORK.BR.PKT" c.d.s. alongside; there are fine c.d.s.'s of "HONG·KONG" (4th July) & "SHANGHAE" (11th July) on the reverse. Rare destination for U.S. stamped mail at this date. Exhibition Item. [Ex Jessup & Paliafito]. PHOTO | £400-£500 | |||||||||
| 351 | THE SMALL "SHANGHAE/PAID" DATESTAMP ON STAMPLESS COVER TO U.S. VIA FRANCE; Attractive 24th Nov. 1863 EL (family letter ref. a recent visit to Ningpo and noting that; "We have not yet received our mail as the steamer has broken down somewhere and therefore we have nothing from home for about three weeks.") from "Shanghae" to "U.S. America Via Marseilles", with very fine scarce Type 6 "SHANGHAE/C/PAID" c.d.s. (rated "R" by Pearson) on the front beside red crayon "2/1_" and "2/2_" rates, as well as London (9th Jan. 1864) and "BOSTON BR. PKT" (27th Jan.) c.d.s.'s. There is a mostly fine blue 28th Nov. "HONG KONG" c.d.s. on the top flap. Exhibition Quality. PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 352 | THE HIGHLY IMPORTANT "PRINTED CIRCULAR" 2c-RATE COVER WITH THE "SUNBURST" CANCELLATION - SENT FROM YOKOHAMA TO SHANGHAI; Arguably the finest known "Sunburst" Cover of the six recorded to date :- Very fine 1st July 1865 E from "Yokohama" (filing note of date and place of origin inside), which was noted as being a "Circular" from "H.C. Morf", addressed to Shanghai. Endorsed "Printed Circular", "Per P&O St[eame]r" and "paid"; franked by a single Hong Kong 1862-3 2c brown, tied by a truly outstanding strike of the "Sunburst" Cancellation in Blue, matching the very fine "SHANGHAE/C" arrival c.d.s. of "JY 18/[18]65" nicely placed on the top flap. Not only is this the finest of the handful of recorded Sunburst covers, but it is also apparently the only one sent at the special 2c Printed Matter rate, and the latest recorded cover with this mark to have survived with its original stamp in place. One of the "Jewels in the Crown" of the Richard C.K. Chan Collection. Superb Exhibition Item.[Ex Ishikawa, 1981, lot 11; sold for £9,350]. PHOTO | £22,000-£28,000 | |||||||||
| THE RARE "SHANGHAI/C" (WEBB TYPE A) DATESTAMPS USED AS CANCELLATIONS. | |||||||||||
| 353 | 1862 8c Yellow-buff, with nice part strike of "AU 12 63", small defect at top. A very early date. SG.Z766. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £120-£150 | |||||||||
| 354 | 1863-71 48c Rose-carmine, with exceptional contrasting strike of c.d.s. in blue dated "NO 23 65", pulled perf. at top, otherwise very fine. SG.Z781. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £120-£150 | |||||||||
| 355 | 1863-71 96c Brownish-grey, with very fine central strike of c.d.s. in blue dated "AU _ 66", slight discolouration and some trimmed perfs. at foot, attractive appearance. Rare. SG.Z783. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £100-£120 | |||||||||
| THE "SUNBURST" CANCELLATION USED ALONE. | |||||||||||
| 356 | 1862 8c Yellow-buff, cancelled in blue, faded with some discolouration and defective corner. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z766. PHOTO | £100-£120 | |||||||||
| 357 | 1863-71 4c Grey, cancelled in blue, tear at top right, thin and toned. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z773. PHOTO | £120-£150 | |||||||||
| 358 | 1863-71 6c Lilac, crisply cancelled in blue, very fine appearance, closed tear at top. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z774. PHOTO | £200-£240 | |||||||||
| 359 | 1863-71 30c Vermilion, with very fine central strike in black, reperfed. at top. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z779. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| THE "SUNBURST" CANCELLATION USED TOGETHER WITH "B62" NUMERALS IN BLUE. | |||||||||||
| 360 | 1862 2c Brown, luxuriant colour, extremely fine and choice in every respect. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z765. PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 361 | 1862 8c Yellow-buff, fine strikes, 4_mm. tear at left and rough corner at lower right. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z766. PHOTO | £100-£120 | |||||||||
| 362 | 1862 12c Pale greenish blue, fine strikes, reperfed. at left. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z767. PHOTO | £120-£150 | |||||||||
| 363 | 1862 24c Green, "sunburst" unusually with outer circle, centrally struck "B62" in blue, defective at lower right. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z769. PHOTO | £200-£240 | |||||||||
| 364 | 1863-71 6c Lilac, very fine central strikes of both "sunburst" and "B62", soiled, faded and trimmed or blunt perfs. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (2002). SG.Z774. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 365 | 1863-71 30c Vermilion, dramatically misperfed. to foot, fine strikes, faulty at lower left. RPSL Certificate of Genuineness. SG.Z779. PHOTO | £200-£240 | |||||||||
| 366 | SHANGHAI 54c-RATE COVER TO U.S. WITH STAMPS CANCELLED BY "B62" NUMERALS; 22nd June 1866 env. (minor edge-wear) to New York franked by Hong Kong 1863 6c lilac & 1865 48c pale rose both tied by fine to very fine "B62" numerals with London "PAID" transit c.d.s. (25th Aug.) and red "5/CENTS" Accountancy Mark alongside; there are fine "SHANGHAE" (blue; 22nd June) and "HONG·KONG" (27th June) c.d.s.'s (both code "C") on the reverse. Attractive cover from the 1864-8 Shanghai "B62" Period. PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 367 | EXCEPTIONAL STRIKE OF THE VERY RARE RED OVAL "CHINA AND JAPAN/*/STEAM SERVICE" MARK ON 20c-RATE COVER TO U.S. EX THE U.S.P.O. IN SHANGHAI; Spectacular 26th May [1868?] env. (minor wear and small closed tear just clear of stamps) addressed to Philadelphia franked by pair of U.S. 1861/2 10c greens (corner bend clear of design at lower right) tied by very fine black cork cancels, matching the mostly very fine "P.O.D.U.S. CON. GENL./SHANGHAI" c.d.s. on the front, also having an astonishingly clear strike of the very rare red double-oval "CHINA AND JAPAN/*/STEAM SERVICE" mark (one end of frame just crossed by fold). There is a partial 26th June San Francisco transit c.d.s. on the front, and a fine 11th July Philadelphia arrival c.d.s. on the reverse. This must be one of the finest surviving strikes of this rare Trans-Pacific Routing Mark. Marvellous Exhibition Item. With Peter Holcombe Certificate of Genuineness (1986). PHOTO | £2,000-£2,400 | |||||||||
| 368 | SPECTACULAR 32c-RATE "S1" COVER TO SCOTLAND REDIRECTED TO IRELAND WITH A G.B. 1d RED; 26th Aug. 1869 env. (some edge-wear; the stamps appear to have been lifted to check their watermarks and then neatly put back in their original positions) to Scotland "Via Marseilles", franked by Hong Kong 24c green & 8c orange tied to each other (and minutely tied to the cover) by a single very fine "S1" cancel with a matching very fine "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. on the reverse. The letter was then redirected to Ireland, on arrival in Helensburgh and so it also has a G.B. 1d Red (Plate 115) on the front, tied by a light "HELENSBURGH/176" duplex. Remarkable and probably Unique Multiple Franking for an "S1" cover. Exhibition Quality. PHOTO | £800-£1,000 | |||||||||
| 369 | 3-COLOUR FRANKING 24c-RATE "S1" COVER TO AUSTRALIA; Attractive 20th Sept. 1873 env. (minor edge-wear) to Melbourne "via Galle", franked by Hong Kong 4c grey, 12c blue & 8c orange all tied (to each other and to the cover) by two very fine BLUE "S1" numerals with a very fine matching blue "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. on the reverse. Exhibition Quality. PHOTO | £500-£700 | |||||||||
| 370 | UNDERPAID 24c-RATE BLUE "S1" COVER TO AUSTRALIA WITH RARE BLUE HONG KONG "INSUFFICIENTLY-PREPAID" MARK; Colourful 23rd Aug. 1873 env. (some wear - mostly round edges - and flap lost) to Melbourne "via Galle" franked by two Hong Kong 8c oranges tied by a single very fine blue "S1" numeral, matching the "SHANGHAE" c.d.s. on the reverse. This letter should have been prepaid 24c, so there is a fine blue Hong Kong "INSUFFICIENTLY-PREPAID [1/4d]" mark (Webb Type Mii; few examples known; partly affected by filing note) on the front, endorsed "Fine 6d" and so with partial oval-frame Melbourne "MORE TO [PAY]" mark on the front with "1/10" charge in centre. Rare thus. PHOTO | £500-£700 | |||||||||
| 371 | Similar 5th Sept. 1877 mourning env. addressed to "Munich, Bavaria, via Brindisi" (rare destination) franked by a Hong Kong 30c mauve tied by a fine blue "S1" numeral, but with various manuscript rates on the front along with a very fine rare blue Hong Kong "INSUFFICIENTLY-PREPAID" mark (Webb Type Mii; few known). Dramatic Exhibition item. [Ex Perrin, Cavendish, 1982]. PHOTO | £750-£1,000 | |||||||||
| 372 | 12c-RATE "S1" COVER TO ENGLAND BY P&O SHIP; 1st Sept. 1877 env. (faults) to Essex "Per P. & O. S.S." franked by a Hong Kong 12c blue tied by a very fine black "S1" numeral with a fine "SHANGHAE" c.d.s. alongside. PHOTO | £120-£160 | |||||||||
| 373 | NEW ZEALAND - RARE 48c-RATE "S1" COVER SENT "VIA TORRES STRAITS" ROUTE; Attractive 14th Feb. 1878 env. (minor edge-wear) addressed to "Miramao, Wellington, New Zealand, via Torres Straits", most unusually franked for the 48c rate by a pair of HK 1863 6c mauve and a pair of 1866 18c lilac, all tied (the first pair tied onto the cover, the other pair tied by indentation) by two very fine "S1" numerals, with a very fine "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. on the front. On the reverse are c.d.s.'s of Hong Kong (18th Feb.), Dunedin (6th April) and Wellington (9th April). This is a most exceptional franking, sent by a rare route to a very rare destination! Exhibition Item. Treaty Port covers to New Zealand are very seldom seen. PHOTO | £500-£700 | |||||||||
| 374 | RUSSIA - PAIR OF THE RARE HONG KONG 5c ON 18c LILAC SURCHARGES ON "S1" COVER SENT VIA ITALY; Remarkable 7th Oct. 1880 env. to St. Petersburg franked by a pair of 1880 "5/cents" o.p. 18c lilacs cancelled by a single very fine black "S1" numeral matching the very fine "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. alongside. There are backstamps of Hong Kong (10th Oct.), Naples and St. Petersburg. Very rare franking and a very rare destination. Exhibition Quality. With RPSL Certificate of Genuineness (1980). PHOTO | £1,500-£2,000 | |||||||||
| 375 | CHINESE "CUSTOMS" 20c-RATE "S1" COVER REGISTERED TO FRANCE WITH RARE HONG KONG 5c ON 8c SURCHARGES FRANKING; Spectacular 12th/27th Jan. 1881 env. (opened out for display; some light staining at right) to Paris endorsed "Registered"; franked - most exceptionally - by two singles and a pair of the very scarce Hong Kong "5/cents" o.p. 8c orange (one stamp with pre-use tear) all just tied by two very fine black "S1" numerals with a very fine matching "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. (27th Jan.) nearby, as a well as a very fine small red Shanghai "R" in circle (Webb R2; earliest recorded date?), a partial red French Maritime octagonal "POSS. ANGL./PAQ. FR....No...." d.s. (2nd Feb.) and a red 2-ring "MODANE A PARIS" T.P.O. c.d.s. (6th March), all on the front. The backstamps are equally significant; overlapping fine 2-ring "CUSTOMS/PEKING" (12th Jan.; blue) and "CUSTOMS/SHANGHAI" (26th Jan.; black) c.d.s.'s, which were both struck before the letter's red wax seals were covered with strips of what appears to be selvedge from a sheet of Chinese Large Dragon stamps, plus poor Hong Kong (31st Jan.) and Paris (7th March) c.d.s.'s (the latter two datestamps were struck over the selvedge, proving that it was stuck on in transit in Peking or in Shanghai). Rare Chinese Customs Registered Cover; also believed to be the Earliest Recorded Registered Cover from Shanghai. Marvellous Exhibition Item. PHOTO | £2,000-£3,000 | |||||||||
| 376 | THE RARE HONG KONG 10c ON 16c YELLOW SURCHARGE ON "S1" COVER TO G.B.; 24th Aug. 1880 env. (minor rusting) to London "Per French Mail" franked by a single HK "10/cents" o.p. on 16c yellow (rare on cover and especially rare on cover from a Treaty Port) tied by a fine "S1" numeral with a matching very fine "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. alongside, with "LONDON/PAID" c.d.s. (6th Oct.) nearby. Very rare - Gurevitch records only 11 covers bearing this stamp. [The similar "S1" cover with a pair of this stamp sold in Cavendish's first Chan auction, 6th Mar. 2003, for £2,990, lot 237.] PHOTO | £1,700-£2,000 | |||||||||
| 377 | THE RARE HONG KONG 10c ON 24c GREEN SURCHARGE ON "S1" COVER TO G.B. "VIA NAPLES"; 7th Sept. 1880 env. (some wrinkling and some toning at left of address) to Dorset endorsed "Via Naples" franked by the rare Hong Kong "10/cents" o.p. on 24c green (slight bend and with rounded perf. at top right) tied by a fine "S1" numeral with a very fine matching "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. alongside; there are fine Hong Kong (11th Sept.) and Dorchester (18th Oct.) c.d.s.'s on the reverse. Very rare stamp on cover, especially so from a Treaty Port; Gurevitch only records nine covers bearing this surcharge. PHOTO | £1,400-£1,800 | |||||||||
| 378 | THE RARE HONG KONG 10c ON 12c BLUE SURCHARGE - A PAIR ON 20c-RATE "S1" COVER TO G.B.; 2nd Dec. 1880 env. (overall wrinkling, some edge-wear & flap lost) to London franked by a vertical pair of the rare 1880 "10/cents" o.p. on 12c blue (some creases & some short perfs.) tied by a single very fine "S1" numeral with a matching very fine "SHANGHAE/A" c.d.s. alongside. Rare; very few covers have been recorded with this 1880 Surcharge on the 12c blue. Exhibition Item. PHOTO | £800-£1,000 | |||||||||
| 379 | 1863-71 Perf. 12_ 4c Slate, deep rich colour and characteristic blind perfs. on two sides, with 30c vermilion vertical pair, crisply cancelled by two strikes of the "S1" in blue on 1870 large piece, showing matching "Shanghae/A" c.d.s. (4.8) and "Preston" arrival c.d.s. (29.9), very fine and appealing franking. SG.Z773a, Z779. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £240-£300 | |||||||||
| 380 | 1863-71 96c Brownish grey, block of four with wing margin at right, crisply cancelled "S1" in blue, outstanding appearance, top left and lower right stamps have a couple of tears and there is a small patched defect at top, some central vertical splitting and reinforcing, nevertheless an exquisite block. SG.Z783. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £600-£800 | |||||||||
| 381 | 1876-77 28c on 30c Mauve, block of four clearly cancelled "S1" in black, pulled corner perf. at foot, very fine and rare. SG.Z785. [Ex Dyer]. PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 382 | 1880 10c on 12c Blue, block of six neatly cancelled "S1", diagonal and horizontal creases, nevertheless very fine and an appealing multiple. SG.Z789. PHOTO | £400-£500 | |||||||||
| 383 | PAIR OF HONG KONG 3c BROWN POSTCARDS USED TO G.B. WITH DIFFERENT "SHANGHAE" C.D.S. CANCELS; 16th April 1884 & 13th Jan. 1893 usages of the 3c brown Postal Stationery PC's (former with some toning) both addressed to G.B.; cancelled by very fine "A"-code Type Di and fine "C"-code Type Cii "SHANGHAE" c.d.s.'s respectively, both with fine HK transit c.d.s.'s. (2 cards). PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 384 | Similar pair of 1884/8 usages of the Hong Kong 3c brown PC's to Austria & France; both with some stains, and cancelled by very fine strikes of the Type Di and Type Fi "SHANGHAE" c.d.s.'s (codes "A" & "C") respectively; the latter with partial very fine "LIGNE N/PAQ. FR. No.?" octagonal d.s. on the front. Good pair. (2 cards). PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 385 | "FRENCH MAIL" 7c-RATE COVER TO G.B.; 23rd June 1893 env. (some wear & minor faults) to Kent endorsed "[By] French Mail" franked by Hong Kong 2c red & 5c blue (some perf. stains) tied by very fine Type Cii "SHANGHAE/C" c.d.s.'s. PHOTO | £100-£140 | |||||||||
| 386 | SHANGHAI LOCAL POST & U.S. P.O. IN SHANGHAI COMBINATION COVER REGISTERED TO THE U.S.; Remarkable 3rd Nov. 1894 env. (some toning; printed "MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, KIUKIANG" flap) to the U.S. franked by seven U.S. 2c reds (some perf. faults), all tied by partly fine "U.S. POSTAL AGENCY/SHANGHAI/1" duplexes, showing signs that a further adhesive (possibly a Kewkiang Local Post 6c) had originally been applied at the bottom right of the address, but it may have been removed prior to posting (because there is no sign of a cancellation on the cover). There is also a very fine purple "REGISTERED/No.[599]" mark on the front (struck at the U.S.P.O. in Shanghai, presumably). The backstamps include a very fine rare oval claret-red "KEWKIANG/LOCAL POST" datestamp (27th Oct.), a blue "SHANGHAI/LOCAL POST" c.d.s. (blue; 29th Oct.), and three American transit/arrival registered marks. Spectacular; very few Registered Combination Covers are known with U.S. stamps. Exhibition item. With Peter Holcombe Certificate (1987). PHOTO (front) PHOTO (back) | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 387 | 7c-RATE & 10c-RATE COVERS TO G.B. WITH C.D.S. CANCELS; Feb/Nov. 1894 pair of envs. (latter with creasing) to G.B., franked by HK 2c+5c (endorsed "French Mail") and 10c red on purple respectively; all tied by near fine Type Cii "SHANGHAE/C" datestamps. Good pair. (2 covers). | £120-£160 | |||||||||
| 388 | LATE Q.V. FRANKINGS ON "SHANGHAI" C.D.S. COVERS TO U.S.A./G.B.; 1900-4 trio (2 covers & 1 PC) to G.B./U.S. franked by QV 5c blue x4, 2c green x2 or 5c yellow x2; all tied by fine to very fine "SHANGHAI" c.d.s.'s (Type Hi). Unusual frankings. (3 covers). | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 389 | CHINA/HONG KONG COMBINATION COVER FROM KIUKIANG VIA SHANGHAI TO G.B. WITH MYSTERIOUS "C.I.M." SECURITY (?) MARK; 14th/20th Aug. 1902 env. (creases & other faults) to Scotland franked by China 1c orange & HK 4c red, both tied by a mysterious purple "C.I.M." mark (unrecorded by Webb; perhaps Chinese Imperial Mail, or Chinese Imperial Missions?); the China 1c also tied by a very fine bilingual "KIUKIANG" c.d.s. and both stamps tied by a fine Type Hi "SHANGHAI/C" c.d.s. (year-date missing). Unusual Combination Cover. PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 390 | KEVII FRANKED PPC's TO MACAU/U.S./FRANCE/G.B.; 1904-10 Collection of PPC's with 1c, 2+2c or 4c KEVII frankings tied by "SHANGHAI/B.P.O." or "SHANGHAI" c.d.s.'s (codes A, C or D). (6 cards). | £120-£160 | |||||||||
| 391 | KEVII FRANKED COVERS TO G.B. & U.S.A. (REGD.) & FROM HONG KONG; 1912 env. (opened out) to GB with 4c red tied by v. fine 2-ring "SHANGHAI BR. P.O." c.d.s., 1906 env. (faults at left) regd. to US with KEVII 4c purple on red Block of Four & single tied by oval "REGISTERED/SHANGHAI B.P.O." d.s., and 1920 ingoing env. from HK with 2c green pair tied by v. fine boxed "B.P.O. TO G.P.O./SHANGHAI/TIME" d.s. Good trio. (3 covers). | £120-£160 | |||||||||
| 392 | THE RARE "S'HAI. F[O]R[WAR]D" MARK ON COVER TO CHINA; 8th May 1913 env. to Kirin with uncancelled HK KEVII 4c purple on red, and with 2-ring "HONG KONG/IV" c.d.s. on the reverse, but also with a very fine strike of the rare "S'HAI FRD" mark on the front, somewhat overstruck by a very fine bilingual "KIRIN" arrival c.d.s. [Similar to the c.1918 env. sold in Cavendish's first Chan Auction, 8th Mar. 2003, for £161, lot 253.] PHOTO | £120-£160 | |||||||||
| 393 | WAR BONDS SLOGAN, U.S.P.O. IN SHANGHAI, ETC.; 1918 env. (faults) from G.B. to Shanghai with very fine boxed "BUY WAR BONDS/THROUGH/CHINA & JAPAN/WAR SAVINGS ASSOCIATION/SHANGHAI" arrival mark, 1907 env. to Canada with KEVII 4c red tied by v. fine "SHANGHAI/C/B.P.O." c.d.s., and 1921 env. to USA from "Nanking, China" with US "SHANGHAI/4c/CHINA" overprint on 2c red tied by mostly fine "U.S. POS. SERVICE SHANGHAI/CHINA" duplex. (3 covers). PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| SWATOW POSTAL HISTORY, 1865-1912 | |||||||||||
| 394 | SPECTACULAR INGOING STAMPED COVER FROM U.S.A. WITH NO LESS THAN 30 U.S. 1861 3c ROSE; 29th May 1865 env. from "BRISTOL/N[EW]. H[AMPSHIRE]." addressed to "U.S. Consul, Swatow, China, Overland via Southampton", amazingly franked by no less than 30 U.S. 1861 3c rose (one badly damaged, and several folded round the edges, but very rare thus) back-and-front, including a Block of Fifteen, all cancelled by manuscript squiggles. Many tied by the various transit marks; v. fine red "BOSTON BR.PKT.PAID" (30th May) and "BOSTON AM.PKT./PAID" (2nd June) c.d.s.'s, "LONDON/PAID" transit c.d.s. (15th June), and blue "HONG-KONG" transit c.d.s. (7th Aug.). There is also a very fine red "2d" Accountancy Mark struck over the Bristol c.d.s. It seems that the letter was initially rated for a single charge of 45c (with the Block of Fifteen on the reverse), but was then returned for more postage, being double weight and needing 90c postage, so the remaining 15 stamps were then squeezed on the front and round the edges after the Bristol (NH) c.d.s. was applied. The result is an Amazing and Unique franking on a cover sent at a very early date to a Swatow address. Exhibition Item. With Peter Holcombe Certificate of Genuineness (1986). PHOTO (front) PHOTO (back) | £1,500--£2,000 | |||||||||
| 395 | EARLY "B62"CANCELLATIONS ON 32c-RATE COVER TO G.B. VIA FRANCE WITH BLACK "A/SWATOW" (EARLIEST RECORDED?) BACKSTAMP; 30th Nov. 1866 E (some creases; flap cut and glued to display all backstamps along with the address panel) to Scotland "Via Marseilles", franked by Hong Kong 8c pale orange and 24c green (both with light crease) both tied by very fine "B62" numerals struck in transit; the backstamps include the rare 30th Nov. 1866 black "A/SWATOW" c.d.s. (very fine though across the join), and a near fine 3rd Dec. HK c.d.s. This is the cover recorded by Webb (p.323) as the EARLIEST RECORDED POSTAL MARKING OF SWATOW. Important Exhibition Item; Page One for any Swatow Collection. [Ex D'Almada, 1990 and John Parker, 1994]. PHOTO | £1,000-£1,500 | |||||||||
| 396 | BLUE "A/SWATOW" DATESTAMP ON TRANSPACIFIC 8c-RATE COVER TO U.S.; 8th Apr. 1870 env. (side-flap opened out for display; some surface abrasions to cover) to Middletown (Conn.) "Per P[acific] M[ail] S[team] S[hip]" (redirected to Knoxville, Tenn., at no extra charge), franked by HK 8c orange cancelled by a very fine "B62" numeral (and just tied by the "MIDDLETOWN/CT" c.d.s.) with a fine red "HONG KONG/PAID ALL" c.d.s. alongside, having a very fine blue "A/SWATOW" c.d.s. on the opened-out side-flap. PHOTO | £300-£400 | |||||||||
| 397 | BLUE "S2" CANCELS ON DOUBLE-RATE TRANSPACIFIC COVER TO U.S.; 13th Oct. 1876 env. to N. Hampshire "Via San. Francisco" franked by a wing marginal pair of the Hong Kong 8c orange cancelled by a single fine blue "S2" numeral with a very fine matching "A/SWATOW" c.d.s. on the reverse, having a very fine red "HONG KONG/PAID ALL" c.d.s. beside the stamps as well as a 22nd Nov. S.F. transit c.d.s. An early "S2" cover and of Exhibition Quality. [Signed by Peter Holcombe.] PHOTO | £2,000-£2,600 | |||||||||
| 398 | 1863-71 4c Grey horizontal pair, cancelled "S2", very fine. SG.Z887 PHOTO | £150-£200 | |||||||||
| 399 | THE LARGEST KNOWN MULTIPLE WITH "S2" NUMERALS – THE 12c BLUE STRIP OF FOUR; 1863-71 12c Blue, horizontal strip of four cancelled by two strikes of "S2" barred obliterator, defective top left corner, otherwise very fine for what is thought to be the largest recorded multiple cancelled "S2". Illustrated in Webb, Plate 75. SG.Z776. [Ex Houston and Burghard]. PHOTO | £2,000-£2,400 | |||||||||
| 400 | "A/SWATOW" DATESTAMP CANCELLING THE HONG KONG 3c BROWN POSTCARD; 25th Oct./1st Nov. 1881 commercial usage of the 3c PC (creasing, dusting, etc.) from "Tamianpo, Horunia" (?) to Scotland, cancelled by a mostly fine small "A/SWATOW" c.d.s. (Type B). Early usage of the c.d.s. as a cancellation. PHOTO | £180-£240 | |||||||||
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