China Large Dragon
China, 1881 (29 Jan.) envelope (opened out for display) to Wakefield, England (1.4) bearing on reverse Large Dragons 1878 thin paper 1ca. green with sheet margin at right and 5ca. orange (2), cancelled by “Customs/Newchwang” double-ring origin d.s. and the 5ca. stamps additionally tied by “Customs/Tientsin” (8.2) and “Customs/Shanghai” (21.2) double-ring transit d.s., and on front Hong Kong 10c. mauve cancelled by bold strike of “S1” barred obliterator, showing matching “Shanghae/A” c.d.s. (22.2) adjacent, “Hong Kong/A” transit c.d.s. (26.2) on reverse also ties one 5ca., with “Wakefield” arrival c.d.s. alongside, very fine and a marvelous Hong Kong combination from the Bandinel correspondence. Estimate HK$ 1,000,000 - 1,200,000 Provenance: “Ming”, Corinphila (Zurich), 25.3.87, lot 4778
Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman, Sotheby’s and Corinphila (Hong Kong), 15.5.97, lot B82. References: James B. Whang, A Comprehensive Illustration on Covers of Chinese Large Dragons (Taipei, 1997), pp. 174-175. Illustrated.
Customs Dater 1875-1913. (Taipei: Philatelic Writer’s Club, 2008), p. 127. Illustrated. ONLY EIGHT COVERS ARE RECORDED AT THE 11 CANDARINS RATE (ONE IS A DOUBLE RATE). ONLY NINE PROPERLY FRANKED LARGE DRAGONS LETTERS OR POSTCARDS ARE RECORDED WITH HONG KONG COMBINATIONS. This envelope was sent by the Winter Overland Service from Newchwang to Shanghai via Tientsin and Chinkiang, which took 23 days. From mid-December to late February each year, the approaches to Tientsin harbour became icebound, so this alternative overland route was a service introduced by the Customs Post in 1878. The 11 candarins rate for mail to England and France via Italy, which had been in effect from 15 November 1879 until some time around May, 1881, is seldom encountered. Dealer
InterAsia Auctions Auction
Minimum Bid:
1.000.000.00 HK$ (via Philasearch.com: 27.-32. Interasia - Hong Kong Auction - item 26-A27-140)
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