1897 (11 Sep) cover from Tientsin to Peking (French Legation), franked with 4c on 4can rose pink, tied by Tientsin Pakua cancel, supported by Large Dollar chop, with corresponding Large Dollar Peking chop applied on arrival on back, v.f. (Cat No. 68) (Image)

Est.US$1,000

1897 (4 Aug) red-band cover (opened for display) from Canton to Shanghai, franked with 4c on 4can rose pink, tied by inverted Canton Pakua cancel, supported by Large Dollar chop, with corresponding Large Dollar Shanghai arrival on back, various chops in Chinese, including "Don't Pay More Postage" in red, fine cover (Cat No. 50) (Image)

Est.US$1,500

1897 (14 Feb) registered cover (opened for display) franked on back with 1c, 2c and pair of 8c surcharges, sent from Tientsin (red oval Registered handstamp, "47" filled in by hand) via Chinkiang to Shanghai, where "Customs Shanghai 22 Feb 1897" pmk in brown was applied, handed over to the Japanese Imperial Shanghai Post Office, where Japanese 5s and 10s adhesives were added, canceled by blue departure pmk, sent via Yokohama and San Francisco to New York, arriving on 26 March, only 40 days in transit, small pieces of cover missing at top, otherwise fine and remarkable combination used from icebound Tientsin to New York (Cat No. 29,30,33) (Image)

Est.US$2,500

1897 4c on 4can pink, tied by brown "Customs Shanghai" Feb 20, 1897 postmark on "Russo-Chinese Bank Shanghai" corner cacheted cover to Peking, endorsed "Per Overland Mail", with blue "I.G. of Customs Peking Mar 9 97" arrival pmk on back (winter mail routing from Shanghai to Peking required unusual routing, since Tientsin, the entry port of Peking, was usually icebound. Mail had to be sent to Chinkiang by Yangtze River Mail boat and from there by mounted mail couriers, 700 miles overland, transit time only 17 days) (Cat No. 31) (Image)

Est.US$500

1898 (4 Aug) cover from Chunking to London, franked with 10c on 9can green, 2 1/2mm space, tied by bilingual Chunking Dollar cancel, sent via (British) Shanghai, where 10c Hong Kong adhesive was added and tied by Aug.23 departure cds, corresponding Shanghai Large Dollar cancel, with London arrival (3 October) on both sides, fine mixed franking combination (19 days Chunking to Shanghai; 41 days from Shanghai to London, total of 60 days) (Image)

Est.US$1,500