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Auction: 24018 - Stamps and Covers of the World
Lot: 359

Hong Kong
Treaty Ports
The Second Opium War
1859 (Aug./Sept.) Shanghai naval envelope to Lady Armytage in London "Via Marseilles" bearing 1854 1d. horizontal strip of three and two singles alongside 1855 4d., all cancelled and tied by "officer in charge of communications" bag seal, paying the 9d. rate from the Far East; the envelope carried on 'Formoza', 'Cadiz', 'Candia' and 'Valetta', reaching Marseilles on 25th Sept. whereon the bag seal was presumably used in error for a Mailboat Numeral, arriving in London on the 27th Sept. with corresponding datestamp on the reverse. Minor bend along top of envelope which just wrinkles the adhesive, otherwise an unusual and important envelope. Photo

Notes: This envelope was sent by Midshipman, George John Armytage, the son of the addressee, whose initials are inscribed in the bottom left of the envelope. Armytage served aboard H..M.S. Cruiser which, between January and December 1859 was stationed first at Kin-Kiang, then Hong Kong, Shanghai, Gulf of Pechelee, back to Shanghai, then to Japan. During the Battle of Pei-Ho (28 June 1859) Armytage was severely wounded, mentioned by Rear-Admiral Hope in dispatches.

literature:
'Penny Red Stars Used Abroad', Mike Batty, 2017; Illustrated here on page 70


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Sold for
£1,600