1866 (15 Nov) single page document headed "Division Navale Des Mers de Chine" (Naval Division/China Seas) Expedition de Coree (Korean Expedition) "Certificat de blessure" (injury report), signed by the commanding Admiral on board of "Le Guerriere", at Mouillage de L'ile Boisse, Korea, 15 November 1866, bearing "Division Navale le des mers de Chine" seal, with French military emblem, folded, with some ageing and paper splits (in 1866, reacting to increasing numbers of Korean and Chinese converts to Catholicism, the Korea government sanctioned massacres of a number of French Catholic missionaries, as well as thousands of Korean converts. That same year France launched a punitive expedition against Korea, invading and occupying portions of Ganghwa Island in the fall of 1866. The French frigate La Guerriere commanded by Admiral Roze was the lead ship in the French campaign against Korea) (Image)

Est.US$1,500

1884 Official Courier Mail, cover with badge of horses imprinted in black (until 1884, the official courier mail service was run exclusively for military and official communications. Ki-Bai on horse and Bo-Bai on foot came into operation in 1597 and MA-PAE, badge of horse imprint was used on official mail. Only 4-5 of these covers have been recorded, two in vermilion and two in black. This cover formed the opening page of the "Kondo Grand Prix Collection" and was last offered for sale in the 1994 David Feldman Auction (lot 1, Estimate SFr.15,000) (Image)

Est.US$2,500

1884 (3 July) "On His Corean Majesty's Service / Foreign Office, Seoul" official printed envelope to Germany, brought by courier (before the opening of the Korean Post later that year) to Shanghai in cooperation with forwarding agent "H.Snethlage Shanghai" (3 July oval datestamp on back) and mailed the same day through the French office in Shanghai, where it was franked with French 25c Type Sage, tied by Shanghai Chine cds, with a similar strike alongside, manuscript "3" crayon mark, with Frankfurt (13 Aug) arrival on back, v.f. and remarkable official service envelope from Korea (probably sent by Paul Georg Moellendorf, German advisor and Inspector General of Customs in Korea) in combination with French Offices in China and Forwarding Agent. Ostensibly, the Japanese postal system in Korea was disregarded and not utilized in this case. Accompanied by a detailed 1999 Florian Eichorn certificate (Image)

Est.US$2,000

1895 50p purple, vertical pair used in 1900 on registered cover from Seoul (13 Feb) to Russia, with red Seoul Registry label (rare), sent via the French Post Office in Shanghai (23 Feb) and Brindisi (23 Mar), arriving in St. Petersburg (20.3 Gregorian Calendar), "OBEZZARAZHENO" (disinfected) in large Cyrillic caps handstamped on front, fine and appealing cover, nicely displayed on exhibition page (Cat No. 9) (Image)

Est.US$500

1902 (26 July) large cover (opened for display), sent from Genkan to Cape Breton, Canada, departure cds tying the stamp and repeated alongside, with Nagasaki (29 July) and Yokohama (31 July) transits, arriving Victoria (16 Aug) and Mabou, Nova Scotia (26 Aug), toning and some holes affect the cover, scarce destination (Cat No. 9) (Image)

Est.US$500

1897 overprinted "Tae Han" on 5p green, single and strip of three, right stamp without overprint at bottom, used on 1ch postal stationery card from Chemulpo 13 Apr 1902, with French Office in Shanghai transit pmk at left, sent to England, fine and scarce usage of the variety on cover (Cat No. 10,10c) (Image)

Est.US$500

1897 overprinted "Tae Han" in Korean in black, 5p green, 10p deep blue (2), 25p maroon and 50p purple, canceled and tied by Chemulpo (1 May 01) cds on registered cover, with red Registry handstamp at left, addressed to Hannover, Germany, with transit markings of the French Post Office in Shanghai (10 May), Naples (12 June), arriving Hannover (15.6.01), boxed "Piroscafi Esteri" handstamp applied in Italy, fine registered cover franked with the complete set of four overprints, plus the additional 10p adhesive, paying 100p (20 jeon) registered fee, ex-Ichiro Kondo (Cat No. 13F-15) (Image)

Est.US$1,500

1900 (Mar) cover from Leipzig, Germany, franked with 20pf ultramarine, tied by departure cds, sent via Nagasaki (8 May) and Yokohama (17 May) to Seoul, Korea. Redirected to Kobe, with Korean 5p green and 10p dark blue added on arrival in Seoul (18 May) to pay for further transmission to Japan, filing folds, one through the German adhesive, otherwise fine and extremely rare redirected cover showing combination franking Germany and Korea (Image)

Est.US$1,000

1900 (17 July) registered cover franked with 2re-6ch deep blue, seven different, tied by Seoul departure cds, addressed to France, with French office in Shanghai transit and French arrival and forwarding pmks, fine and attractive cover (Cat No. 18-24) (Image)

Est.US$250

1900 4ch carmine, 10ch purple, tied by Seoul 12 Dec.02 cds on picture postcard sent by Registered mail, via Shanghai (22 Dec) to France, with French octagonal Packet (24 Dec) and Lyon (27 Jan 03) arrival pmks, boxed Seoul Registry handstamp, minor toning, fine (Cat No. 22,25) (Image)

Est.US$150

1900 6ch deep blue, horizonal pair tied by Seoul 22 Apr 1901 cds on registered cover to Tokyo, addressed to the French military attache at the legation in Tokyo, red Seoul registry handstamp, with "Seoul 25 Apr 01 I.J.P.O" pmk on back and Tokyo arrival on front (Cat No. 24) (Image)

Est.US$200

1900 10ch purple, used in 1903 on red-band cover from Chemulpo, via French office in Shanghai to France, with faint Chartres arrival pmk, filing fold away from the stamp and markings on back, fine "Westward" cover (Cat No. 25) (Image)

Est.US$150

1900 50ch green & pink, used with 2wn purple & yellow green on registered A.R. cover from Seoul (25 July 1902) to St. Petersburg, Russia, endorsed "Affranchie par 2 timbres $2.50" to indicate the franking, French Post Office in Shanghai transit (1 Aug) and St. Petersburg (25 Aug) arrival pmks on back, with red "Seoul" address handstamp (Sontak), fine cover with extraordinary cover, the only recorded franking of this combination and acknowledged as one of the top items of Korean classic philately, ex-Ichiro Kondo (last offered in 1994, David Feldman Auction, lot 70, SFr 18,000 hammer) (Cat No. 31,33) (Image)

Est.US$5,000

1901 (Oct) cover franked with single 3c orange red, sent to Union Co., Pa, where it was charged 7 cents Postage Due, with the addition of 1c and 3x2c U.S. postage dues (some perf. faults), with handstamp "U.S.Charge Collect 7 Cents". San Francisco transit and Lewisburg arrival pmks on back (Cat No. 21) (Image)

Est.US$150

1901 (21 Oct) registered cover franked with top sheet margin horizontal pair of 50wn olive green & pink, tied by Seoul cds, sent via Chemulpo to St. Petersburg, with transit and arrival pmks on back, v.f. (Cat No. 31) (Image)

Est.US$250

1902 (24 Nov) registered cover from Chemulpo to Switzerland, attractively franked with 5ch pink, 10ch purple and 20ch red brown, used in combination with 4x1ch on 25p and single 3ch on 50p purple, boxed Chemulpo registry handstamp, arrival on back Moudon, 21 Dec. 1902, fine registered cover (Cat No. 23,25,27,35,37) (Image)

Est.US$500

1902 (2 June) registered A.R.(opened for display) franked on both sides with a combination of 16 stamps, on back 5p green, strip of 3x10p blue, 25p maroon, overprinted in red 5p green, overprinted in black 25p maroon, pair of 2re gray; on front with pair of 20ch red brown, 2x15ch gray violet, 5ch pink, 6ch blue and 10ch purple, confirmed by "affranchie par 16 timbres" (franked with 16 stamps) endorsement, all tied by Seoul/Coree departure cds, sent via Shanghai (12 June) to St. Petersburg, arriving on 8th July (Russian calendar), boxed Seoul Registry and "A.R." handstamps. A remarkable cover (6,7,8,10,14,18,23,23-27) (Cat No. 6/27) (Image)

Est.US$2,500

1902 surcharges, set of four, tied by "Chemulpo 4 Apr 1904" cds on cover addressed to U.S. Naval officer, with "U.S.S. Vicksburg" handstamp, some adhesive toning, arrival pmk on back. A fine cover. The U.S. gunboat Vicksburg was present during the Russo-Japanese battle of Chemulpo two months earlier (Japan was the winner) and remained in the Korean port, which was considered neutral territory (Cat No. 35,36,37,38) (Image)

Est.US$250

1903 two registered picture postcards from Seoul to Vienna, Austria, each franked with 4c and 10c Falcon, each with appropriate 1904 departure cds, Registry handstamps, one with Italian Legation in Korea diplomatic handstamp, sent via Shanghai, the other via Chemulpo and Shanghai, with Vienna arrival pmks, both displayed on exhibition page (Cat No. 43,46) (Image)

Est.US$500

1903 5ch Falcon, used 12 Dec 1904 on picture postcard from Seoul to "Musketier Kaarl Hahmel, 3.Komp. II Ostas.Infanterie Regiments" in Shan-ha-kwan, China, showing Chemulpo and Shanghai transits, also French Post Office in Tientsin 3 Jan 1905 arrival, little toning, unusual destination (Cat No. 44) (Image)

Est.US$500

1904 (30 Apr) cover headed "Legation of the United States of America, Seoul, Korea", franked with 10c Falcon, canceled by datestamp and used in combination with United States 2c carmine (Scott 319), both tied by San Francisco June 10 machine transit pmk, with Menominee, Mich (June 15) arrival on back. From January 5, 1904 to November 11, 1905, a United States Marine guard (under the command of Lieut. Douglas C. McDougal USMC) was sent to protect the American Legation in Seoul during the Russo Japanese War. This cover may well have been from a member of the Marines assigned to that guard (Image)

Est.US$500

1904 official cover addressed to Germany, with "P.O. Chemulpo" endorsement, supported by 3 Dec 04 cds, sent unfranked during the Russo-Japanese war via North America, stamps and markings not available (?), fine and most unusual cover, apparently the only recorded "stampless official cover" (no examples in Mizuhara or Kondo collections), with 1994 Eichorn opinion (Image)

Est.US$250

1904 (14 Sep) registered cover (opened for display), front hand-painted, with Seoul Registry handstamp and departure pmk, addressed to Shanghai, with 3c and 10c Falcon franking on back, both tied by cds, with 27 Sep 04 Shanghai arrival pmk, fine and attractive cover (Image)

Est.US$250

1904 (4 May) 4ch red postal stationery card, uprated with 1ch Falcon, tied by Chemulpo Coree cds, sent to Germany, fine commercial usage (Image)

Est.US$150

1905 (25 Apr) Consulat General Belgique official preprinted cachet cover franked with strip of 3x10c Falcon, registered from Seoul to Brussels, sent via Chemulpo (1 May), French Post Office in Shanghai (8 May), arriving "Bruxelles Reception" (15 June), fine and attractive Registered Consular Mail cover (Image)

Est.US$400