1879 (23 May) cover franked with 3can brown red (cliche 5), right sheet margin single canceled by oval "Yen-T'ai" seal of Chefoo, with violet "J.Smith & Co" sender's chop (repeated on back), endorsed "Per SS Pantah", addressed to Shanghai, "Customs Chefoo May 23 79" departure and "Shanghai Local Post K My 26 79" arrival, fine cover, ex-Saul Newbury, Michael Newbury, Carl Kilgas. A fine cover, listed In James B.Whang (No.23) and illustrated on page 80, comments: "This is the earliest known Large Dragon cover, sent out from Chefoo". Also illustrated on page 57 of "Prize Selections from the ROCPEX TAIPEI '81" catalogue "1879 Chefoo-Shanghai cover bearing the earliest Chefoo oval seal" (Cat No. 2) (Image)

Est.US$20,000

1879 (19 Mar) cover (side flap opened for display) franked with 3can vermilion, tied by double circle "Post Office Chinkiang" 19 Ma 79 pmk, addressed to Shanghai, with blue "Shanghai Local Post I MH 20 79" arrival, faint overall toning, fine cover, ex-H.C.Chen (1944), Allen Gokson (1944), listed In James B.Whang (No.10) and illustrated on page 64, comments: "Large Dragon covers with the "Post Office Chinkiang" cds are extremely rare, only 7 being known at present" (Cat No. 2) (Image)

Est.US$20,000

1880 (5 Feb) cover from Lurgan (Ireland), franked with Great Britain 2p dark blue and 4p olive green (plate 16), tied by "316" duplex and Lurgan Feb 5, 80 cds, addressed "per first mail" to "William Hancock, Imperial Customs Shanghai", "via Brindisi" crossed out and covered by 3can brown red, tied by Customs Shanghai March 22, 80 pmk, cover redirected to Peking, with Hong Kong (Mar 16) transit and Shanghai (Mar 21) arrival pmks on back, minor cover wrinkles and little toning of no importance. A rare redirected cover from Lurgan, listed In James B.Whang (No.56) and illustrated on page 126, comments: "lower left of cover noted with "Via Brindisi" and adhesive of British 6d could be postage of transiting in Italy". Also illustrated on page 59 of "Prize Selections from the ROCPEX TAIPEI '81" catalogue (William Hancock was in fact born in Lurgan, Ireland and in 1874 joined the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service as a clerk, arriving at Chefoo (Yantai) in July that year. He was soon transferred to the Inspectorate-General in Peking, where he studied the Chinese language, and was thereafter given various postings around the country. He served at Customs College, Peking, from 1885-1888, probably teaching Chinese) (Cat No. 2) (Image)

Est.US$10,000

1880 (15 Mar) small cover franked on back with 3can brown red and 5can orange, canceled and tied by oval seal, with "Customs Tientsin March 15, 80" departure pmk, via "Customs Shanghai Mar 20, 80", sent through the French Shanghai Post Office, with unoverprinted 35c Type Sage canceled on front by "5104" large numerals, supported by Shanghai Chine 25 Mar 80 cds, addressed to Frau Detring (wife of Gustav Detring, Tientsin Commissioner of Customs in charge of all China's postal operations) in Wiesbaden, Germany, blue "Ligne N" French packet 31 Mar 80 maritime pmk (tying 3can) and Wiesbaden arrival 3 May 80 (tying 5can), v.f. and unusually nice cover showing the scarce 8 Candareen rate from Tientsin, via Shanghai and the French Post Office to Germany. Illustrated on page 61 of "Prize Selections from the ROCPEX TAIPEI '81" catalogue (Gustav Detring moved to China in 1865, and was appointed to serve as the private advisor to Viceroy Li Hongzhang in 1878, a position he held for twenty seven years. He rose to one of the most senior positions in the Qing bureaucracy, including a post in the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) and as Commissioner for the Northern Ports. He negotiated a series of treaties and trade agreements on behalf of the Chinese government and was used by Li during various diplomatic missions in the 1870s-80s. In 1896, Detring was conferred with Dingdaihauling 'Rank One' by the Dowager Empress Cixi, making him the highest ranking Westerner in China) (Cat No. 2,3) (Image)

Est.US$50,000

1882 (17 Feb) "On Service" Inspectorate General of Customs Peking to The Commissioner of Customs Shanghai, coverfront (as always), paying 24 Candareen with 1c thin paper emerald green (last printing before "wide margins"), horizontal strip of four of 5can orange (Setting II, cliches 18,11,3,25, left stamp folded-over and straightened), used in combination with 3can brown red, wide space, canceled by blue Peking oval seals, ex-Allen Gokson (1948) and Carl A. Kilgas ( listed In James B.Whang (No.127) and illustrated on page 223, comments: "This is the earliest recorded Large Dragon cover bearing a wide margins 3 Candarins stamp". Also illustrated on page 65 of "Prize Selections from the ROCPEX TAIPEI '81" catalogue: "1882 Peking-Shanghai "On Service" cover, the earliest cover bearing 1882 wide margin Large Dragon" (Cat No. 1,3,4) (Image)

Est.US$30,000

1885 (2 Oct) cover from Peking to Switzerland, franked with a horizontal strip of 3x3can vermilion, rough perforations, thick paper, canceled by two oval Peking seal chops, with corresponding "I.G. of Customs Peking Oct 2 85" departure pmk on back, all in blue, addressed to the Secretary of the Belgian Legation in Berne, via "Customs Shanghai" Oct 7, 85, sent through the French post office, with unoverprinted 25c Type Sage, tied by Shanghai Chine 7 Oct 85 cds, French Railway "Macon a Montceis", Swiss "Ambulant No.1" transits and Bern arrival pmks (all on 16 Nov 85), fine and attractive Large Dragon cover paying 9can international letter rate, ex-Knapp sale (Nov 1941, lot 4236), listed In James B.Whang (No.298) and illustrated on page 495. Also illustrated on page 75 of "Prize Selections from the ROCPEX TAIPEI '81" catalogue (Cat No. 8) (Image)

Est.US$30,000

1886 (25 Apr) cover (opened for display) franked with single thick paper and horizontal pair of 1can green, tied by two "Customs Chinkiang Apr 25 86" pmks on front, pre-printed address "A.E.J. Abraham, Esq. Shanghai", Per Str. "Fuh Mo", with additional Customs Chinkiang, blue "Shanghai Local Post Apr 26, 86" and "Shanghai Customs" Apr 26 80 arrival pmks on reverse, sender's red sealing wax "D.M. David, Chinkiang", faint overall toning, fine and unusual cover paying 3 Candareens with three 1can instead of a customary 3can single, handstamped "R.C.Ma" and "F.C.Chen, Cathay" on back, ex-Chu Shih-Cheh, Yuan Han-Yun (1927), E.Busch, Ma Ra-Chuen (1944), Allen Gokson (1944), listed In James B.Whang (No.310) and illustrated on page 516. Also illustrated on page 77 of "Prize Selections from the ROCPEX TAIPEI '81" catalogue (Cat No. 7) (Image)

Est.US$20,000