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Auction: 19009 - The Treaty Ports of the Shanghai Postal System - Part 1
Lot: 1041

Chungking
Postage Dues
Covers
1895 (25 May) envelope from Gold Coast to Chungking bearing Gold Coast 2½d. (corner missing) tied by a fine strike of "deutsche seepost/linie/hamburg-/westafrika" with 2ca. rose-red Postage Due tied by Chungking oblong datestamp of 1895 (2 Sept.) with the similar for Ichang (2.9) alongside. Bearing, on the reverse, Hong Kong (31.7), British Post Office Shanghai (5.8) and light strikes of Customs Hankow (9.8) and (12.8) in blue. There is a light vertical crease and a repair along the top of the envelope, but these barely detract from this highly important cover. This is thought to be the only cover from Gold Coast to any of the Treaty Ports in the Shanghai Postal System. Photo

literature:
The Shanghai Postal System, Charles Dougan, 1981 (illustrated page 83)


These Postage Due stamps were introduced in June 1895 and this is thought to be the earliest recorded date of use of the Chungking Postage Dues


1895年5月25日西非Gold Coast 寄重慶外來封, 貼Gold Coast 2½ 便士票一枚, 銷德國汽輪/漢堡/西非日戳, 到重慶時於信封左上端補貼重慶玫紅色銀貳分票, 銷1895年9月2日紫色長方框型中英文日戳, 旁蓋相似的9月2日方框型重慶信局宜昌分局中英文日戳, 在封背蓋7月31日香港, 8月5日上海英國客郵局, 8月9日及8月12自漢口海關等中轉戳; 信封上只有輕微的摺痕, 對這件重要及罕見的信封來說, 可算是微不足道; 可以相信這是目前唯一由西非經由上海郵政系統而送遞到商埠的外來封._x000D_ _x000D_ 著作: 1981年"上海郵政系統" (The Shanghai Postal System) Charles Dougan. 83頁插圖; 這種欠資票發行於1895年6月, 所以相信此是重慶欠資票最早貼用的實寄封.

Estimate
HK$80,000 to HK$100,000