British Post Offices. 1899 (Nov 20) Postcard to Dollnstein (Germany), franked by China 1898 1/2c (6) and 1c, tied by 'Pa-kua' hs, Shanghai Local post and Hong kong cds's at tight, additionally franked with Hong Kong 1884 2c carmine (2) tied by Br. Shanghai cds, arrival at base, some toned perforations but an interesting Local Post usage. (Image)

French Military Mail. 1871 (April 15) Cover to Bourg-sur-Gironde franked by 1863 20c, tied by "5118" lozenge with "CORR.D.ARMÉES/YOKOHAMA" cds in centre, a very fine cover rarely sent during the period of the "Commune" uprisings in Paris; ex Max J. Mayer. (Image)

1874 (Feb 13) Incoming envelope from Paris addressed to Captain Lebon (Chief Artillery Instructor of the Military Mission to Japan) in Yedo (the old name for Tokyo before the Meiji Restoration), and sent by his mother, bearing perf. 'Cérès' 5c, 15c (bistre) & 80c, tied on dispatch, struck in transit on reverse with "YOKOHAMA/BAU FRANÇAIS" cds, scarce; ex Max J. Mayer. (Image)

French Post Office. 1866 (Feb 1) Single rate envelope to Bordeaux, bearing 1862 40c vertical pair cancelled by "5118" dotted lozenge, showing "YOKOHAMA/BAU FRANÇAIS" and red French entry cds's alongside, two vertical creases clear away of the franking, a rare mail in the year of the Great Fire of Yokohama; cert. Roumet (2002), signed Calves; (Yv €700); ex Jun Ichi Matsumoto and Max J. Mayer. (Image)

1866 (Feb 28) Cover to Lyon, paying the single rate with 1862 80c, tied by "5118" dotted lozenge, with superb "YOKOHAMA/BAU FRANÇAIS" and red French entry cds alongside, bs on receipt, very fine, carried by the British mail with involvement of the "Cadiz", "Baroda", "Delhi" and the "Tanjore" ships, sent some months before the Great Fire of Yokohama; cert. Roumet (2002), signed Calves and Pothion; (Yv €1'000 for the franking); ex Jun Ichi Matsumoto and Max J. Mayer. (Image)

1878 (Feb 4) Envelope via Brindisi to Offranville carried at single GPU rate, bearing 'Siège' 40c, tied by "YOKOHAMA/BAU FRANÇAIS" cds, repeated alongside, red French entry cds, a couple of toned perfs., scarce; ex Max J. Mayer. (Image)

French Post Offices. 1895 (April 19) Cover to England franked by overprinted Sage 25c, tied by "SHANG-HAÏ/CHINE" cds, redirected from Dover to Canterbury with application of 1881 1d violet tied by Dover "258" duplex, with receiving cds on back, an unusual combination. (Image)

1899 (Nov 24) CIP 1c postal stationery card to Charlottenburg (Germany), uprated with China 1898 1c and 2c, tied by bilingual Hankow cds, transferred to the French mail with overprinted Sage 10c type II, tied by French Shanghai cds, German receiver at lower left and bilingual Shanghai cds on back, very fine. (Image)

German Post Offices. 1898 (Jan 4) Envelope from Kiang Yin Forts to Bethel bei Bielefeld (Germany), showing Shanghai Large Dollar dater on reverse, franked on front by 1897 Empress Dowager redrawn design 1/2c on 3ca (Chan 82) in two vertical pairs, including one stamp with"2" of the "1/2" denomination almost completely missing, cancelled by "Pa-kua" hs of Shanghai, in mixed franking with 1894-98 10pf pair and two singles, tied by "SHANGHAI" cds's; a very rare combination franking with the sender only paying the single 2ca internal rate with Chinese stamps in order to make the cover more attractive for the addressee, who was a stamp collector (see "Markenfreund" in the address). Provenance: 1. Merkur (Stanley Gibbons) auction in Frankfurt (May 1972, lot 569), and Max J. Mayer. Expertise: Signed Mansfeld (active in the 1958-1970's) and Horst Pröschold (1922-1989). (Image)

1892 (March 22) Cover to Dresden with German "GESANDTSCHAFT DES DEUTSCHEN REICHES/PEKING" paper seal on reverse, where also the "I.G OF CUSTOMS/PEKING" (22.3), violet "CUSTOMS/TIENTSIN" (23.3, faint strike) and "CUSTOMS/SHANGHAI" (28.3) cds's where applied, with Chinese 3 candarin stamp missing besides the area where a blue barred oval hs is visible, with the franking on front incl. 1890-96 10pf in pair, tied by "KAISERLICH/DEUTSCHE POSTAGENTUR SHANGHAI" cds, three vertical folds not affecting the stamps, a rare combination franking; ex Max J. Mayer. (Image)

German Post Offices » Kiautschou. 1905 (March 6) 5c postal stationery card with rare printed illustration of the first international art exhibition in Tsingtau (25.2.05) on reverse, sent to Hamburg and cancelled by "DEUSTCHE SEEPOST/SHANGHAI-TIENTSIN/b" oval ds, arrival cds at left, very fine. (Image)