1849 Entire from Canton to London endorsed "p. Robert Small" and "Consignees letter", therefore only charge British inland postage of 3d (2d unpaid rate + 1d captains gratuity), handstamped "(Crown) / EXEMPT SHIP LR" and "SHIP LETTER" in black, both a little smudged but quite clear. From the Alan Robertson collection, written up in his distinctive style, with a print of London Docks. A very unusual origin for an exempt ship letter.

1878 Large Dragon 3c brown-red on thin paper, fine used with complete Chefoo seal cancel. S.G. 2, £400. Photo on Page 152. (Image1)

1883 Large Dragon 1ca green and 3ca pale red used, the 1ca with a couple of short perfs. S.G. 7, 8a, £900. (2). Photo on Page 152. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image1)

1883 Large Dragon 3ca pale red mint, hinge remainders, one short perf at upper left. S.G. 8, £1,200. Photo on Page 152. (Image1)

1883 Large Dragon 5ca chrome-yellow, hinge remainder, tiny corner crease at upper right, an attractive stamp. S.G. 9, £1,800. Photo on Page 152. (Image1)

1885-1960s Mint and used collection in three stockbooks and loose including 1897 surcharges, 1930s and 1940s definitives in mint multiples, etc. (100s).

1888 Small Dragon 3c (3) and 5c (2), and 1894 Dowager Empress 9c all used with seal cancels and London arrival datestamps, very unusual. S.G. 14/15, 22, £310+. (6).

1894 Dowager Empress 1c (4), 2c, 3c (4), 4c (fault at right), 5c and 12c (two short perfs at left) all used with seal cancels, most virtually complete strikes, four on piece, mainly fine. S.G. 16/20, 23, £1,526. (12). Photo on Page 152. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image1)

1897 1c on 3c "Red Revenue", three used stamps all with Hankow "dollar chop" cancels. S.G. 88, £1,125. (3). Photo on Page 152. (Image1)

1901 Printed red band envelope to Germany, headed "Feldpostbrief" and endorsed from a German soldier at Tsingtau, bearing China ½c pair with oval "KIAOCHOW / MAY 14 1901" cancel (not tied), arrival backstamps, very attractive.

1916-23 Sinkiang and China Specimen sets comprising Sinkiang 1916-19 ½c - $20 set of 22 and 1921 Postal Service set of four, China 1920 Flood Relief set of three and 1921 Postal Service set of four, all stamps with some paper adhering to reverse (ranging from very tiny traces with much gum to large part paper and very little gum), a few stamps also with minor staining and small thins, good overall appearance and colour, the Sinkiang $10 and $20 both fine, also China 1921 Air Specimen set stuck down on paper. S.G. £3,750. (38). Photo on Page 152. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image1)

1918-19 First Peking Printing 1½c dull violet, 13c brown and $20 black and yellow all overprinted "SPECIMEN", mint with large part gum, a little paper adhering to reverse, good appearance. S.G. 289s, 298s, 308s, £1,200. (3). Photo on Page 152. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image 3) (Image1)

1931-41 Dr Sun Yat-sen definitives unmounted mint, mainly in blocks or strips, comprising 1931-37 first issue $1 vertical strip of three, $2 and $5 vertical strips of five and blocks of nine; second issue 2c - $5 set of ten (dollar values perf 11½x12½) in vertical strips of five (one $5 damaged) and blocks of nine; 1940 postage due overprint $1 (14, with vertical strip of four and block of nine), $5 vertical strip of five and block of nine; 1940-41 third issue printed by Dah Tung Book Co. on watermarked paper $1 block of nine, $2 block of nine and vertical strip of five, $5 blocks of 49, 15 and five, $20 block of nine and vertical strip of five; also Chung Hwa Book Co. no watermark $10 and $20, all fine. S.G. 393/405a, 476/7, 496B/500B, D545/6, £3,800. (307).

1938-41 Dr Sun Yat-sen third issue $5, six mint imperforate sheets of fifty without gum, each with two vertical folds between stamp columns 3/4 and 7/8, from the unfinished sheets looted from the Chung Hwa Book Co. printing works in Hong Kong, unusual in such a large multiple. Mentioned as a footnote by Gibbons below S.G. 475. (6 mint sheets).

1940-41 Dr Sun Yat-sen $5 printed by Dah Tung Book Co. in Hong Kong on watermarked paper, a complete unmounted mint set of fifty, with low sheet number "015". S.G. 498B, £600.

1950 Foundation of Peoples Republic, perf 14 original printing $2000 (4, two vertical pairs) and $3000 (6, with pair and strip of three, the pair with small faults), also First Anniversary of Peoples Republic $800 original printing (six, with vertical pair and strip of three, two with small stains), without gum as issued, mainly fine. S.G. 1434/5, 1466, £1,510. (16).

1950 (Oct.) Gate of Heavenly Peace $200 emerald-green, Peking printing with redrawn clouds, vertical marginal block of six (2x3), unused without gum as issued, fine and scarce. S.G. 1459a, £1,200. Photo on Page 172. (Image1)

1950 Gate of Heavenly Peace, first Shanghai printing $800 brown-orange, and second Shanghai printing (redrawn without small white clouds) $800 red-orange and $2000 olive both in an irregular strip of three, all unused without gum as issued, fine. S.G. 1415, 1485/6, £1,080. (7). Photo on Page 198. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image 3) (Image1)

1950-51 Gate of Heavenly Peace, second Shanghai printing (redrawn without small clouds) £800 red-orange and $2000 olive both in marginal blocks of six (3x2), unused without gum as issued, fine and scarce. S.G. 1485/6, £2,010. (2 blocks). Photo on Page 198. (Image1)

1952 Gymnastics $400 set of ten, original printing in se-tenant blocks of four all used at Shanghai, the reddish violet and yellow-brown blocks both with faults to one stamp, the other eight blocks largely fine. S.G. 1543/52a, £960. (10 blocks).

1964-76 Issues, the 1970-76 period largely complete with 1970-71 Tiger Mountain Revolutionary Opera set, 1971 Paris Commune set, Communist Party 50th Anniversary 8f se-tenant strip of three, 1972 Merchant Shipping set, 1974 Industrial Production set, etc., all fine unmounted mint. S.G. £3,200 (approx). (305).

Bandit Post. 1923 "Pao Tzu Ku" Bandit Post 10c black on buff and 50c (5c) black on red unused, large margins, 50c with hinge mark in reverse upper margin, otherwise superb and scarce. Produced for use by the hostages captured from the Pukow-Tientsin train by bandits in May and held captive at Pao Tzu Ku until their release in June; 300 of each stamp were printed on behalf of Carl Crow, American Red Cross representative, who negotiated the release of the hostages. Also a 1923 (June 10) letter from R.E McCann (sent three days before the last hostages were released) sent from Tsao Chuang to F.M Thompson enclosing two sets of these stamps (with a copy of another letter of June 6th). (2). Photo on Page 190. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image1)

Mongolia - Tannu Touva. 1939 (Mar 29) Long registered A.R cover from USA to The Postmaster, Kazil, Tannu Touva, franked 2c + 3c, other USA stamps lost in transit with seven Chinese Post Office Officially Sealed labels applied and tied by Peking datestamps. Twice handstamped "SERVICE TEMPORARILY / SUSPENDED / RETURN TO SENDER" (due to the war between China & Japan) and returned, backstamped at Hong Kong and Shanghai, the front endorsed "Recd from Tientsin in Bad Order" alongside an unusual small "U.S TRANSPACIFIC SEA POST / No. 22 / SEP 8 / 1939 / KEITH KOONS" c.d.s (not recorded by Roger Hosking in "Seaposts of the USA"). Some creasing and two paperclip stains (where the A.R form was attached), an exceptionally unusual cover.

Revenues. 1899 20c, 100c (2) and 1000c Coloured proofs on India paper, the 100c and 1000c proofs affixed to thick card, 20c proof a little rubbed. This issue was never placed in use. (4). Photo on Page 152. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image1)

German P.O. 1916 Stampless registered cover to USA headed "Service des prisonniers de guerre" with "TIENTSIN / DEUTSCHE POST" c.d.s and registration label, reverse with violet cachet "Hulfsaktion / fur Deutsche und Osterr.-Ungar. Gefangene / in Sibirien", registered backstamps of the U.S Postal Agency in Shanghai and San Francisco. Very unusual.