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Auction: 16012 - Meiso Mizuhara, The Exhibition Collections, The Chinese Customs Post
Lot: 1501

China
Forerunner Period
Boat Office Macao
1832 (11 July) entire letter to Augustine Heard in Canton bearing a fine strike of the "Boat office/macao/10 Cents" handstamp in a deep shade of scarlet, well struck on the address side and carried on the "St George". With the original letter from Macau, from the wife of his agent, who could not write himself as he had been taken ill on the passage over. The wrapper with two brush stoke delivery characters on the reverse.


A rare cover, this being the earliest of only two covers recorded originating from Macau. This is a very important example of this marking as it has been applied to the front of the cover as a despatch postmark, it is usually found on the reverse of the mail (when it was applied as an arrival marking).

provenance: Warren G. Attwood, October 1952



This postmark was used either as a despatch and arrival mark. The Boat office was originally located in Markwick's Tavern at the eastern end of the Praya Grande. In 1834 the post office operation was established under the management of Richard Markwick of Markwick and Lane and the Boat Office became part of the official operation

Sold for
HK$60,000