The 2023 Winter Auction - Sale 342
Sale 342
- (-) Remove Nostalgia - Another Pleasant Journey For Postal Cards filter Nostalgia - Another Pleasant Journey For Postal Cards
20 May 1897, a U.S.A. 2-cent stationery card from the United States to Shanghai via San Francisco, addressed to the Chartered Bank Shanghai, cancelled by a blurred California cancel. Additionally, there is a Shanghai U.S. Post Office datestamp as arrival mark, plus a transit datestamp from San Francisco. The card is in good conditions.
4 Mar 1897, a French 10-cent overpinted "CHINA" stationery card to France, affixed with a 1-cent Small Dragon stamp overprinted with Chinese characters of "temporary foreign currency one-cent / 1 cent", cancelled by two Ningpo Customs c.d.s., Shanghai French P.O. c.d.s. A very rare example of using ovpt. small dragon on a French stationery card.
31 May 1895, a French 10-cent overpinted "CHINA" stationery card, affixed with a 3-cent small dragon stamp in purple, cancelled by a "SHANGHAI CUSTOMS" seal in Chinese characters, a French P.O. circular postmark, transit through Hong Kong c.d.s. Hard to find a CUSTOMS mail applied to a French staionery card. The postal card is well-preserved.
11 Aug 1897, a French 10-cent overpinted "CHINA" stationery card sent from Ningpo to Aberdeen Scotland showing “NINGPO” origin dollar chop in brown, the indicia cancelled by “SHANG-HAI/CHINE” c.d.s. The dollar chop relates to either payment in cash, subscriber’s card, or acceptance of foreign postage applied by the sender. very rare to have NINGPO dollar chop applied to a French stationery card. Provenance: ex-W.S. Kong Collection.
8 Apr 1899, a French 10-cent overpinted "CHINA" stationery card sent from Chinkiang to Finland, cancelled by a black circular Chinkiang dollar chop (8 April) and Shanghai dollar chop (9 April). The stationery card postage is further canceled by the rectangular "I.P.O." (International Postal Order) mark posted in Chinkiang, a Shanghai French P.O. c.d.s., and a Finnish arrival mark. Rare to have a Chinkiang dollar datestamp with the I.P.O. application for postal card to the Northern Europe, making this item quite scarce.
20 Mar 1900, a French 10-cent stationery card sent from Hsianting Hsien, Cangchow, Hopeh Province, to Challerange, France, and then through Hokanfu, Paoting and then Shanghai French P.O., cancelled by Hsianting Hsien tombstone, Hokanfu tombstone, Paoting dollar chop, Shanghai bilingual bisected c.d.s., Shanghai French P.O., French arrival c.d.s. There is a minor folded mark in the middle part. However, this is a rare stationery card usage with various tombstone marks and originated from a small town in Hopeh Province.
16 Nov 1897, a French 10-cent overpinted "CHINA" stationery card sent from Chefoo, via Shanghai French P.O., to Germany, bearing a bilingual instructional mark: "已付信資 / PAID" (i.e. Postage Paid), cancelled by the despatch Chefoo dollar chop, a blue Shanghai dollar chop, and Shanghai French Post Office c.d.s., octagonal French steamship mark. Rare to have a bilingual instructional mark: "已付信資" applied to a French stationery card, and thus rare. According to Jeffrey Schneider's research published in the 2010 issue of the Asia Philately, the earliest known use of the bilingual "已付信資" postmark in Chefoo was in June 1897. This one is a very early application such mark in a postal card.
20 Oct 1897, a French 10-cent overpinted "CHINA" stationery card sent from Port Arthur (威海衞), which is part of Weihaiwei, to Denmark in Northern Europe, bearing a black circular Tientsin dollar chop and a blue circular Shanghai dollar chop. The stationery card postage mark location is cancelled, in retrospect, by Shanghai French P.O. when arrived there for sending abroad, plus a Danish arrival mark. In 1897, Port Arthur (威海衞) was yet to have postal office, so the card was firstly sent to Tientsin where the mail has taken sea route to go South to Shanghai before the ice blocking conditions set in winter.
13 April 1905 picture post card from Russia to Shanghai via Kiachta and then Mongolia, affixed Russian Coat of Arms 4k cancelled by Russia cds, Russian Shanghai PO, Shanghai Local Post index G.
Russo-Japanese broke out in Feb 1904 -- Sept 1905. Towards May 1905, it came to the final naval battle called "Battle of Tsushima" where it has indrectly blocked the traffic in the area of Sea of Japna, Korea Straits and East China Sea. As a result, no sea route for delivering mails from Vladivostok to Chefoo and down to Shanghai. Instead, it has chosen the Western land and train post through Kiachta, entering into Mongolia and then through North-West China down to Shanghai. An amazing mail witnessed the history of Russo-Japanese War / Battle of Tsushima.
15 July, 1923, a ROC Junk 4c. red reply card uprated with additional 2c. on 3c. from Vierni to Harbin bearing Russia Worker imperf. 100r. block of six from the left of the sheet (only partially affixed so that the address could be read underneath), cancelled by double-ring d.s., the indicia and Chinese stamp have manuscript crosses indicating non-acceptance for postage. Even though no fee should have been collected since it was an international reply card, the Russian Post Office at Vierni nevertheless collected 6,000,000 rubles, with the 100 ruble stamps having been revalued by 10,000 times. Illustrated in Michel Bedin and Jacques Gautherin, Route de Siberie (2008), p. 231
April 1924, a revised verson of junk stationery double-card reply portion sent from Harbin to Kumau, uprated with a ROC 3-cent junk stamp ovpt. "temporary for 2 Cts", cancelled by Harbin 3-grid cancellation (HARBIN / 16.4.24 (9)) and Russian cancellations. A very rare use of junk stationery card to Dagestan, Russia Republic.
12 Aug 1909 Russian picture post card sent from Vladivostock to Chefoo, instead of delivering the usual train post, this one was delivered through the local Vladivotok-Amure Paquebot Line to Chefoo. Unusual and interesting.