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Auction: 8021 - British Empire Stamps and Covers
Lot: 672

x Fiji 1870-71 Fiji Times Express, 1/- black on rose on laid batonné paper [12] affixed to 1871? front addressed to "C.W. Lomber Esq., c/o U.S. Appraisers Office, San Francisco", cancelled by manuscript grid, used with U.S. 1870 10c. brown tied by "cork" obliterator with San Francisco c.d.s. (6 Oct.) alongside and showing "san francisco/steamship" transit d.s. at lower left; some minor faults. Extremely rare, one of two recorded usages of this issue. Photo Estimate £ 15,000-18,000 Note: The Lomber correspondence was related to mining interests in Australia. This is the only recorded example of this rate and the only recorded mixed franking with U.S. Postage. This item is No. 8 in Geoff Kellow´´s article "The Postal Arrangements for the Fiji Times Express" published in the Australian Philatelist, March 1988. In his census, only six covers, two fronts and a large piece (the last lost in a bushfire that destroyed John Gartner´´s collection) are recorded. (A copy is included with the lot). According to Colin Tabeart, this item was carried on the last voyage of the "Wonga Wonga" which departed Sydney 1/9/1871, departed Fiji 11/9/1871; departed Honolulu 25/9/1871; and arrived San Francisco 6/10/1871. The ship was chartered by Halls Line. provenance John F. Seybold, March 1910 Col. Hans Lagerloef, May 1953 J.R.W. Purves Peter Robertson, June 1992 F. Mayer

Sold for
£17,000