1923 (May 23), Peking-to-Tientsin First Flight cover (Starr-Mills 5), a lovely registered cover franked by the First Airmail Issue complete, along with 8¢ additional postage, all tied by bold "Peking/23 May 23" bilingual c.d.s.'s; front shows boxed Registered handstamp and three-line bilingual "To be despatched by Aerial Service" handstamp, with reverse showing violet Tientsin 23.5.23 "Aeroplane Service Tientsin C.P.O." handstamp plus Tientsin bilingual 23 May 23 receiver; a clean, attractive example, Very Fine.
Estimate HK$ 1,800 - 2,200. Est. HK$1,800-2,200 (Image1)

Est. HK$1,800-2,200

1930-49, interesting array of airmail covers to the U.S., a selection of 17 in all, with all but two obviously traveling by air, carried by the Clippers, BOAC, Air France and "via Hanoi Amsterdam Route"; usages include quite a few Censored at Hong Kong, along with a Special Delivery cover (postage added in the US) as well as one marked "Postage Due 5 cents/Seattle, Wash."—though without evidence that it was collected; various Censor tapes, transit and arrival markings, some pretty multicolor frankings, etc.; we note a 20¢ Reaper solo usage, an Oct. 10, 1943, cover bearing two full strikes of the one-day commemorative cancel for Chairman Chiang's taking office as President of the Republic, even a late Nanking cover bearing a trio of East China Liberated Area issues, etc.; same-period bonus covers from two India and one Hong Kong plus a 1960 Registered Malaya as well; condition issues range from minor to not-so-minor, but a useful lot nonetheless, Fine to Very Fine overall, inspect.
Estimate HK$ 2,400 - 2,800. Est. HK$2,400-2,800 (Image1)

Est. HK$2,400-2,800

1941 (Mar. 4), registered airmail cover, Lanchow to Chengtu, franked on front by a single 10¢ on 25¢ Dr. Sun Yat-sen Second London Print, with reverse bearing 1940 Kansu surcharge on Dr. Sun Yat-sen Hong Kong Print 3¢ on 5¢ chop (e) block of four, with upper left stamp surcharge-inverted variety, along with 3¢ on 5¢ olive green chop (f) block of six and vertical pair (Chan #365a, 488e, 488e var & 488f), all tied by seven strikes of "Lanchow (Kaolan)/1941.3.4" c.d.s.'s and Chengtu 1941.3.20 arrival, fresh, Very Fine, a striking and rare cover, signed H.L. Chung above the inverted surcharge stamp, with accompanying 2018 Experts & Consultants Ltd. photo certificate.
Estimate HK$ 4,000 - 5,000. Est. HK$4,000-5,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$4,000-5,000

1949 (May 30), Silver Yuan Kiukiang Local Issue airmail cover to Michigan, a striking and superb cover, franked on reverse by a spectacular block of 20 of $200,000 on $1,000 Parcel Post stamp, tied by multiple strikes of Kiukiang origin c.d.s.'s, Very Fine and choice, a showpiece.
Estimate HK$ 14,000 - 18,000

This cover essentially is a local Gold Yuan overprint used in the Silver Yuan period, which began a month earlier on April 29. One of only two such covers recorded with a block of 20, the second dated June 8. The $4,000,000 rate equates to 40¢ Silver, which was the correct international airmail rate for this date. Est. HK$14,000-18,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$14,000-18,000

1949 (Aug. 7), Silver Yuan mixed franking airmail cover, from Chengdu to Fuzhou, lightweight envelope franked on reverse by an uncommon pairing of a West Szechuan-overprinted $50,000 Dr. Sun Yat-sen (Chan #S126, Scott Szechuan #45) above a General Issue 10¢ Dr. Sun Yat-sen Hwa Nan print (Chan #S25, Scott #976), both tied by bold bilingual "Chengtu/7 8 38" c.d.s.; address-side bears two incomplete dotted-rim Fuzhou receivers, together reading Aug. 9 (?), 1949, along with blue manuscript "Air Mail" label; slightly wrinkled with small paper mounting remnant on address side, still, a Very Fine cover overall, scarce combination usage.
Estimate HK$ 1,400 - 1,800. Est. HK$1,400-1,800 (Image1)

Est. HK$1,400-1,800

1949 (Sept.), Silver Yuan airmail cover, Szechwan Province to Philadelphia, attractive, clean and neat cover, franked on front by Szechwan overprint on $200,000 Sun Yat-sen (Chan #S131, Scott #42), along with a horizontal strip of five of the Domestic Airmail Unit stamp (Chan #S8), all tied by c.d.s.'s; reverse shows bold Hong Kong 24 SP 49 transit; no arrival markings, Very Fine.
Estimate HK$ 1,500 - 2,000. Est. HK$1,500-2,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$1,500-2,000

Sinkiang, 1932 (Nov. 26), patriotic registered and censored airmail cover to Wuchang, splendid, superb quality cover with front showing 4¢ Sun Yat-sen plus 5¢ and 10¢ Junk issues, all tied by bold bilingual Tihwa (Urumtsi) 26.11.32 origin c.d.s.'s, along with Tihwa Registry label and Wuchang 4 DEC receiver; reverse shows intact Censor tape tied by red boxed "By Air Mail" chop, along with a superb example of the very scarce 30¢ deep brownish purple Sinkiang Airmail issue (Scott #C4, Chan #PSA4), which is perfectly tied by Tihwa origin c.d.s., Extremely Fine and choice, a rare, gem-quality cover, and a lovely example from the Turner correspondence, demonstrating the 9¢ letter rate, 10¢ registration plus 30¢ airmail fee.
Estimate HK$ 20,000 - 30,000. Est. HK$20,000-30,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$20,000-30,000

Sinkiang, 1932 (Nov. 27), formular envelope used Tihwa to Lanchow, lovely, clean envelope, franked by 15¢ blue Sinkiang "Air Mail" handstamp in red (Scott #C3, Chan #PSA3), along with 4¢ and 5¢ Second Peking Print Junk issues, all tied by "Tihwa/(Urumtsi)" origin c.d.s.'s, with reverse showing oval Government of Sinkiang red censor cachet along with Lanchow Dec. 1 bilingual arrival c.d.s.; a lovely and scarce cover showing the 9¢ letter rate plus 15¢ airmail surcharge fee; small piece of flap missing, Very Fine.
Estimate HK$ 10,000 - 14,000. Est. HK$10,000-14,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$10,000-14,000

Sinkiang, 1943 (Dec. 11), registered airmail cover from Tihwa (Urumtsi), Sinkiang, to Tientsin, attractive cover franked by the complete set of "Limited for Use in Sinkiang Province" woodchop-handstamped overprints in red, with reverse showing Tientsin JAN 15, 1944 receiver; minor usage soiling, Very Fine, a scarce usage.
Estimate HK$ 1,500 - 2,000. Est. HK$1,500-2,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$1,500-2,000

North East China, 1946 (June 2), cover from Heilongjiang to Shandong (Yang NE320), a neat cover bearing a vertical pair of Yang #NE320 tied by 35.6.2 Longjiang City, Nenjiang District comb c.d.s.; no backstamps; opened unevenly at bottom, Very Fine, a nice cross-province cover.
Estimate HK$ 1,400 - 1,800. Est. HK$1,400-1,800 (Image1)

Est. HK$1,400-1,800

North West China, Unaddressed cover, cancelled Yenan (Yang NW2-5, NW6), bearing Yang #NW2-5 ($5 to $100 imperforates) plus #NW6 ($1 rouletted), all tied by three Yenan c.d.s.'s dated Mar. 1…though the year is difficult to make out (appears to be "42"—so 1953?); regardless of the date, a clean, pretty multicolor-franked cover, Very Fine.
Estimate HK$ 1,600 - 2,000. Est. HK$1,600-2,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$1,600-2,000

1871, 1ca violet postal card and 1ca on 6ca red Provisional overprint, used Shanghai to Ningpo (Chan LS77. Scott 64. Livingston PC1 Type A, plus #70), a splendid, superb quality 1ca Shanghai Local Post card, uprated by a beautiful example of the very rare 1ca on 6ca gray First Candareen Provisional Small Dragon surcharge in red (Chan #LS77, Scott #64), each cancelled by a choice strike of "Shanghai Local Post Office" small garter cancel in blue; front additionally shows lovely violet "Melcher's & Co/Shanghai" oval forwarding agents handstamp cachet; card is addressed to the British Settlement in Ningpo, pristine, Very Fine, simply a magnificent and rare showpiece.
Estimate HK$ 60,000 - 80,000. Est. HK$60,000-80,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$60,000-80,000

1875 (Apr. 20), cover with 3ca on 2¢ rose Second Candarin Provisional Issue (Chan LS69. Scott 60), a lovely cover from the Ms. L.M. Fay correspondence, with the perf 12 Provisional Issue tied by red "Local Post Office Shanghai" small garter cancel; reverse shows blue "Shanghai/AP 20/75/Local Post" c.d.s. Fresh; flap missing and minor edge tear, Fine to Very Fine+, a lovely and rare cover.
Estimate HK$ 50,000 - 60,000

A second cover from this correspondence is known used on Dec. 1, 1874 . Est. HK$50,000-60,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$50,000-60,000

1875 (Sept. 27), pre-adhesive Customs Post cover from Takow to Hong Kong, a red band cover addressed to "Yid De Fan Yi, Shopkeeper" in central Hong Kong, with reverse showing "Customs/SEP 27/75/Takow" datestamp, then sent onward by sea to Amoy, where "Customs/SEP 30/75/Amoy" dater was subsequently applied; after arriving at Amoy, the cover then went onto a ship, which carried it to Hong Kong, where the letter was then hand carried to the recipient—thus the absence of any Hong Kong arrival markings; the cover shows signs of aging, along with an edge tear which travels to the outer circle portion of the Takow Customs dater, all this somewhat insignificant in scope.
Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 600,000

This cover has an amazing "sister" cover, written in the same hand, and addressed to the same shopkeeper in Hong Kong, with both the Takow and Amoy markings each a mere two days earlier than on this cover.

This "sister" cover, which presently resides in the Taiwan Postal Museum, was formerly owned by the eminent Japanese philatelist, Meiso Mizuhara, and imaged on page 19 of Volume 1 of "China-Customs Post, Pre-Adhesive Era". It is again featured on page 829 of the Chinese version of "Revenue Surcharges China 1897", Vol. 2, produced by the Directorate General of Posts, Ministry of Communication at Taiwan

For years, this cover (as noted in Mizuhara) was the only known example used in Formosa in the pre-adhesive era. This companion cover quite possibly may represent the only opportunity to possess a cover from the early Customs period of Taiwan. Est. HK$500,000-600,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$500,000-600,000

1880 (May 24), 3ca Large Dragon cover fragment, Shanghai to the American Legation at Peking (Chan 2. Scott 2), neat, large portion of cover front, bearing a 3ca thin paper printing Large Dragon issue, tied by perfect, bold strike of "Customs/MAY 24/80/Shanghai" dater, attractive and clean item, Very Fine.
Estimate HK$ 20,000 - 30,000. Est. HK$20,000-30,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$20,000-30,000

1881 (Sept. 14), mourning cover, sent Peking to Paris, interesting and unusual black-bordered mourning cover, franked on reverse by 3ca Large Dragon (Scott #2, Chan #2) cancelled by blue seal cancel, with "I.G. of Customs/SEP 14/81/Peking" matching origin c.d.s.; reverse also shows "Customs/SEP 20/81/Shanghai" and "Customs/SEP 16/81/Tientsin" transits plus Paris 6 NOV 81 arrival; front shows 5c and 15c Sage type, cancelled by Shanghai "5104" diamond-of-dots cancels, with matching "Shang-Haï/24 SEPT/81/Chine" transit; front additionally bears a "Chambery a Macon/6 NOV/81" arrival; reverse shows harmless, small flap tear, with the cover Fine to Very Fine, scarce usage, Ex-Allen Gokson (1948).
Estimate HK$ 40,000 - 50,000

This cover is listed and illustrated as #77 in the James B. Whang reference book on pages 55 and 56 . Est. HK$40,000-50,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$40,000-50,000

1892 (Jan. 3), 3ca Small Dragon cover, Tientsin to Shanghai, neat, small envelope franked by a single 3ca Small Dragon, which is tied by a light strike in blue of Tientsin Type 3 seal cancel, with matching "Customs/JAN 3/92/Tientsin" small Customs dater on reverse; additionally, reverse shows black Shanghai small Customs receiver of JAN 10, along with blue "Shanghai/JA 10/92/Local Post" arrival; two expertly closed tears at far left of no consequence, Fine to Very Fine, scarce.
Estimate HK$ 10,000 - 15,000. Est. HK$10,000-15,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$10,000-15,000

1894 (Aug. 4), 3ca Small Dragon cover, sent Tientsin to Peking, clean and attractive envelope, franked by a single 3ca Small Dragon issue tied by light black Tientsin seal cancel, with matching "Tientsin/Aug 4/1894/Customs" dater on reverse; back additionally shows blue "I.G. of Customs/AUG 6/94/Peking" arrival dater, Fine to Very Fine, a lovely cover.
Estimate HK$ 10,000 - 15,000. Est. HK$10,000-15,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$10,000-15,000

1894 (Oct. 1), Small Dragon combination cover, sent Tientsin to Hamilton, NY, beautiful, neat and clean cover, franked by a choice pair of 3ca lilac smooth perf 11½-12 Small Dragons (Scott #14, Chan #20) tied by excellent strike of blue Tientsin seal cancel; front additionally carries a 25c French Offices "CHINE" overprint tied by one of two "Shang-haï/8/OCT/94/Chine" c.d.s. strikes, while reverse shows excellent quality strikes of blue Tientsin small Customs origin c.d.s., black Shanghai OCT 5 small Customs transit, Yokohama 12 Oct transit, French "Ligne N./8 OCT 94/Paq Fr" paquet marking and Hamilton, NY, NOV 27 1894 receiver, fresh, Very Fine in all respects, a lovely and appealing cover.
Estimate HK$ 20,000 - 28,000. Est. HK$20,000-28,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$20,000-28,000

1897 (Mar. 4), French Offices postal card sent Ningpo to Somerset, lovely 10c French "CHINE"-overprinted card originating from the China Inland Mission at Ningpo, franked on front by 1¢ on 1ca Small Dragon surcharge (Scott #25, Chan #31), tied by one of two bold strikes of "Customs/MAR 4/97/Ningpo" small Customs dater; card transited through the French Post Office at Shanghai, with dual "Shang-Haï/6 MARS/97/Chine" transits and dual April French transits, with reverse showing blue "Customs/MAR 6/1897/Shanghai" small Customs dater and violet "13 APR 1897" handstamp which serves as a receiver, fresh, Very Fine, a lovely and scarce usage.
Estimate HK$ 8,000 - 10,000. Est. HK$8,000-10,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$8,000-10,000

1897 (Apr. 11), spectacular bilingual Peking "Postage Paid" chop on registered cover to Tientsin, a magnificent, superb quality legal-size envelope, bearing a choice strike of blue 35mm "Chinese Imperial Post Office/Postage/Paid/Peking" chop, along with matching "I.G. of Customs/APL 11/97/Peking" and matching large "R" Registry handstamp, Extremely Fine, ex-David.
Estimate HK$ 80,000 - 100,000

Two December 1896 usages have recently been sold in a major Hong Kong auction, representing the two earliest known examples, and Paul Chang notes on page 7 that an April 10 example is the latest known example, with this example quite possibly the latest known example of this rare and iconic marking . Est. HK$80,000-100,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$80,000-100,000

1897 (June 24), "Legation des Pays-Bas" cover, sent Peking to Holland, attractive cover bearing on front the Peking bilingual Postage "Paid" marking in brown, along with "Peking/24 JUN 97" blue Large Dollar dater, endorsed "20" in manuscript; cover then transferred to the French Post Office at Shanghai, where 50c Peace & Commerce was added for double-rate postage, cancelled by one of two "Shang-Haï/1 JUIL/97/Chine" c.d.s.'s; reverse shows "Shanghai/29 JUN 97" Large Dollar dater transit, plus "Ligne N/3/JUIL/97/Paq Fr. No 8" French mail boat marking, along with "Amsterdam/7-8 N/6/AUG/97" arrival c.d.s.; minor mounting remnants, Very Fine, a splendid and scarce usage, with 2018 Experts & Consultants Ltd. photo certificate.
Estimate HK$ 15,000 - 20,000. Est. HK$15,000-20,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$15,000-20,000

1897 (Aug. 18), registered cover from Shanghai to Soochow, neat, small-size envelope franked by narrow space 10¢ on 9¢ second print Dowager surcharge (Scott #70, Chan #79), along with 2¢ on 2ca re-drawn design Dowager surcharge (Scott #74, Chan #83), each tied by blue Shanghai Large Dollar chop, with front additionally showing large red "R" handstamp; reverse shows outstanding strike of "Soochow/18 AUG 97" Large Dollar arrival marking; couple close, harmless edge tears, Fine to Very Fine, an unusual franking paying the registered four-times domestic rate.
Estimate HK$ 15,000 - 20,000. Est. HK$15,000-20,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$15,000-20,000

1897 (Nov. 5), 1¢ Imperial Chinese Post postal card, sent Chefoo to Jenchuan, a clean, attractive card, cancelled by bold strike of "Chefoo/5 NOV 97" Large Dollar dater, with front showing choice strike of "Customs/15 NOV 97/Jenchuan" arrival; card was undoubtedly hand-carried and favor cancelled on arrival at Jenchuan Customs, Very Fine, a lovely item.
Estimate HK$ 3,000 - 4,000. Est. HK$3,000-4,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$3,000-4,000

1898 (Aug. 10), cover from Chungking to Shanghai, lovely, neat small blue cover to "The Treasurer, China Inland Mission, Shanghai", franked by horizontal pair of 1¢ on 3¢ Red Revenue surcharges (Scott #78, Chan #87), tied by bold "Chungking/10 AUG 98" Large Dollar dater, with an additional small red chop tying the right stamp; reverse shows bold "Shanghai/F/AU 23/98/Local Post" receiver in black, fresh, Very Fine.
Estimate HK$ 15,000 - 20,000. Est. HK$15,000-20,000 (Image1)

Est. HK$15,000-20,000