Selection of covers etc including a few 1930s red band covers; 1940s internal airmails; Korean War anti-American propaganda handstamp in blue on 1952 cover & six revenue documents; later military covers - some illustrated - x18 with triangular cachets in red; Cultural Revolution x15 with Mao portraits, slogans & other propaganda including 8f Envelope addressed to Mao's wife Jiang Qing and receipted on the face by her office & 1967 PPC with "felt" portrait of Mao's Brother from Guizhou Army HQ to Shanghai; a few taxed items; 1980s-90s internal covers including a range of Post Office Express covers & others from Provinces including Inner Mongolia & Xin Jiang; etc, condition variable but generally fine to very fine. Fascinating material.  (85) (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1902 (April 15) usage of Postal Card 1c red with lengthy message in German headed "Puoly" and signed "R Pieper/Missionaer", to Germany with oval 'PEKING/APR. 22 1902' bilingual datestamp, Kiautschou Yacht 5pf affixed and tied by 'TSINGTAU/2 5/02' cds, 'CAMEN' arrival cds. A very similar item (also with 1c Coiling Dragon cancelled at Peking) carried in the same mail sold at our our auction of 2.3.2023 for $1500. Prior to China joining the UPU in 1914, mail was often sent overseas via one of the Treaty Ports. The card was apparently carried privately to Beijing, by Chinese Post to Kiautschou from where 5pf paid the German domestic/colonial postcard rate. The village of Pouly in southern Shandong Province was the seat of the Styl Society of the Divine Word Catholic Mission. The murder in late-1897 of two of the missionaries was the trigger for German forces to occupy Kiautschou. The area was "leased" to Germany from 1898.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1904 'Tientsin Railway Station' postcard to a ship's passenger at Aden with Coiling Dragons 2c pair tied by bilingual Tientsin cds, Chinese & British Shanghai transits & light but discernible Aden arrival cds on the face. A remarkable destination.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

1905 (Dec 3) usage of 'Gruss aus China' PPC (illustrations on both sides) with message in German headed "Puoly via Tsingtau" and signed "R Pieper" (a German missionary), to Bavaria with 1c Coiling Dragon (just trimmed at top) tied by superb Chinese-characters cds & large 'chop' in red below, largely superb 'CHINAN' bilingual cds, Kiautschou 5pf affixed and tied by 'TSINGTAU/12 2/05' cds, very fine double-circle 'UNTERJOCH/16/JAN/06' arrival cds, light stain at the base & minor imperfections. Very attractive [See Lot 3621 above for an explanation of the need for combination frankings]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1916 (Oct 28) WWI usage of Russian 3k Postal Card with 35mm Cyrillic POW cachet in violet, to a German engineer in Peking with 1k added, Cyrillic Peking cds of 3.11.16 and German 'PEKING/16.11/16/DEUTSCHE POST' cds, two filing holes at the base otherwise very fine. The message written in German from a POW who requests tobacco & old newspapers in German English or French & states papers from neutral territories (as was China) are permitted. Rare usage to China, enhanced by the Russian PO in Peking datestamp.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1959 (Oct 16) cover airmail to England with Tenth Anniversary issues 10f Industrial Plant, 20f Mao Proclaiming Republic & 22f Gate of Heavenly Peace tied by character cds, re-directed to New Zealand carried via Australia with Sydney 'INSUFFICIENTLY PREPAID/FOR TRANSMISSION BY AIR' boxed handstamp & bars jusq'ua marking both in magenta applied at upper-left, back flap missing otherwise very fine.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

PICTURE POSTCARDS: 1904 card of an educated Mandarin chortling at a naughty French magazine (stamps removed), then unused French Mission artist cards x3, and circa 1930s marvellous real photo cards of life in Shanghai x5, plus a couple of others.  (12)

Grade A/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

Collection remainders including a badly defective 1876 registered from India with superb 'NEPAL/FEB:20' arrival (no year; month before day), 1881 unpaid & taxed from India with very fine 'NEPAL/1 FEB:' cds (no year; day before month), a batch of prestamp or unstamped covers with a variety of seals &/or postmarks, KGV & Sri Pashupati groups, post-WWII commercial airmails but some with philatelic frankings, 1949-61 Indian Embassy Post Office commercial group with 1953 from "Lalitpur" with blue/white 'INDIAN EMBASSY/NEPAL' R label, 1961 Registration Envelope with 'INDIAN EMBASSY/NEPAL' handstamp in violet on provisional R label, 1950 uprated 6a Aerogramme with full letter to Texas & 1952 uprated 2a Envelope to New York with 'INDIAN EMBASSY (NEPAL)' so-called 'comet' cancels, 1950 uprated 2a Envelope from Dehra Dun & cover from Jhulaghat both registered with 'INDIAN EMBASSY (NEPAL)/ REG ' arrival; and circa 1959 with Officials 12p orange-red SG O139 x4 on the reverse & the face with a largely superb strike of a fantastic wholly intaglio 'telephone' datestamp (37x34mm) on the face; condition rather mixed but many are fine to very fine.   (100+) (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1811-90 Pre-Stamp Mail comprising 1811 & 1832 documents each with very fine strike of the royal seal of Girbana Yuddha Bikram Shah (King of Nepal 1806-1816) or Rajendra Bikram Shah (1816-47) in vermilion; 1821 cover with superb seal on the reverse of Uzir Singh Thapa, Governor of Palpa, to his uncle, Prime Minister Bhim Sen Thapa in Kantipur (Kathmandu); 1879 large-part cover from Kathmandu (poor first-type backstamp) endorsed on the reverse "Mahasul Chukti" (= postage fee paid), to Palpa with very fine first type datestamp; 1880 two covers to the Prime Minister & Commander-in-Chief Rana Udip Singh Bahadur, the first with largely superb seal on the reverse of Amini Goswara, with fine strike of the first Kalaiya postmark inscribed 'BARA', the other with superb strike of the first Hanumannagar postmark with manuscript date & fine strike of the first type Kathmandu arrival datestamp in bluish-black, manuscript "J" signifies "Postage not required"; and 1890 official cover from Banke with an identifiable strike of the postmaster's private seal & his manuscript endorsement of the office name and date; generally fine to very fine. In 1879, the first provincial post offices were established; Nepalese-inscribed postmarks were introduced; except for official mail, postage was required to be pre-paid; and mail was accepted from members of the public. Between 1879 and 1935, all dates on postmarks - most entered by hand - are from the Bikram Sambat calendar, always showing year-month-day. In about 1885, the inscriptions were removed from all the datestamps which were re-issued as blank circles, the office name & date to be written inside. Some postmasters ignored the circle implements and reverted to the old manuscript-only system.  (7 items)

Grade A/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1884-1928 British India Stamps & Postmarks comprising 1884 stampless cover from Calcutta to "HH the Maharaja Sir Runoo/.../Primeminister and Commander in Chief Nepaul" with superb 24½mm 'NEPAL/ 27NOV84' arrival backstamp & boxed 'POSTAGE DUE/("2as")' handstamp; 1891 usage of stampless 'On Postal Service/EAST INDIA POST CARD' in pale green/white to 'The Commanding Officer/9th B.I." with a superb strike of the scarce 19mm 'thimble' cds inscribed 'NFPAL/JA2/91', faults; 1904-07 covers x3 & postal stationery Envelopes x4 with all-different 'NEPAL' postmarks comprising Swiss bridge-pattern cds x2 (one with 'NFPAL', caused by damage), 'NEPAL/1ST DELY' 25mm or 24½mm (registered), 'NEPAL/2ND DELY' with 2-line date or 1-line date, & 'NEPAL/3RD DELY' with 1-line date (rare); and 1925-28 usages of 31½mm cds on 'On Postal Service' pre-UPU 'Acknowledgment' of receipt of registered letter also with 'NEPAL'-in-Box handstamp, Registration Receipt and 'A.R. Receipt for Inland or foreign Telegrams'; generally fine.   (12) (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1896-1905 Internal Stamped Mail comprising 1896 cover with a fine Imperf 1a indigo SG 10 tied to the reverse by a fair strike of Dhankuta's character-in-bars cancel with superb intaglio cds to the right with manuscript date; 1897 larger-than-usual cover with an Imperf 1a blue tied to the face by a fine strike of Palpa's character-in-bars cancel, on the reverse a light but clear intaglio cds of Palpa with manuscript date; 1900 larger-than-usual cover with an Imperf 1a blue tied to the face by a largely very fine strike of Gahawa's character-in-bars cancel, on the reverse a largely fine intaglio cds of Gahawa with manuscript date; 1901 local cover with an Imperf 1a blue with Recut Frames SG 26 tied to the face by a largely very fine strike of Kathmandu's hexagonal character-in-bars cancel; and 1905 cover with an Imperf 1a blue with Recut Frames SG 26 tied to the reverse by a fine strike of Dhankuta's character-in-bars cancel with intaglio cds of Dhankuta alongside with manuscript date, in the centre is a manuscript notation "// 74 //" in Devanagari numerals, warning that an unauthorised person who opens the letter would commit a sin equal to the slaughter of 74 sacred cows!; some characteristic staining from the gums used.   (5) (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

1903-39 Mail Between Nepal and Tibet comprising 1903 official from Kerong with very fine elaborate court seal, mute-circle with manuscript endorsement of "Rasuwa/16.4.1903" & intaglio cds of Trisuli; 1907 official from Kuti with very fine elaborate court seal, manuscript of Tatapani & intaglio of Chuatara (an unusually late usage of the traditional route, which was rarely used after the opening of British India border offices from 1904); 1909 jeweller's advertising envelope with ½a tied by 25½mm 'NEPAL/26AU09' cds, Indian 'BASE OFFICE/31AU09' transit & 'GYANTSE-TIBET/9SE/09/ SILIGURI-BASE' arrival; 1920 from Kathmandu to "Lhassa/co Pancha Ratna/...Gyanchi Tibet" with fine 'GYANTSE/27SEP23/TIBET' arrival; 1924 with 1a tied by 31mm 'NEPAL/10JUL24' cds & superb 32mm 'GYANTSE/27JUL24/TIBET' arrival; 1936 two covers to Katmandu with 1a3p tied to the reverse by 'GYANTSE/16APR36' cds, or with 1a only but not taxed tied by largely superb 'PHARIJONG/29AU636' cds; and 1939 to Kathmandu with Lhasa merchant's printed details & 'C/o Danaratna/Rheling Pharijong/Tibet', KGVI 1a carmine only tied by 'PHARIJONG/20DEC39' cds, largely very fine horseshoe 'PHARIJONG FPO No 81/DUE' handstamp & very fine Devanagari horseshoe 'KATHMANDU/MAHASUL' (= fee) postage due handstamp; generally fine.   (8) (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1907 registered cover with a 'full set' of Imperfs comprising 1a dull blue with Recut Frames SG 26, 2a bright violet SG 15 & 4a blue-green SG 17 (all with full margins) tied to the face by fair to fine strikes of Taulihawa's character-in-bars cancel, the reverse with superb intaglio cds of Taulihawa with manuscript date of 6.8.1907, and largely superb Kathmandu arrival b/s of 14.8.1907. minor peripheral tears. Wolfgang Hellrigl's two 1907 registered covers, from Taulihawa & Pokhara, sold for SFr2640 & SFr2280 respectively.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$750