1899 (24 Aug) packet mailed from the Colonial Office in Berlin to the Imperial District Commissioner, Herr Fritz in "Saipan Karolinen", franked with Germany 10pf and 25pf Reichspost, tied by departure cds, "Reichsdienstsache" handstamp, with "Saipan Marianen 21/8/00" arrival pmks on front, Jaluit, Marshall Islands (24.11.99) and Yap (15.1.00) transit markings on reverse, with brown "Kolonial Abtheilung Auswartiges Amt" seal, fine (the first German postal steamer arriving in the Marianas was the "Munchen" of the New Guinea Branch. It arrived on 17th August, 1900 with this item, which also bears the latest recorded date for the old marking, which had the bottoms of the "99" filed off to make the small "oo" in the year-date) (Image)

Est.US$500

1904-06 exhibit page showing the "Rota" handstamp, 10pf carmine, pair on large piece of a registered cover, single on cover addressed to Saipan, plus a single on piece, the latter with "Reichel" signature, fine and interesting group (at the end of 1903, the population of Rota was 480 natives and a single Spaniard. The Germans decided to colonize Rota and sent in an agronomist, Volkmar Reichel to the island. Reichel began operating an auxiliary postal station and created a "ROTA" handstamp, with a datestamp and later his signature below. These markings were not officially authorized, most of the existing examples are on pieces and only a few covers are recorded) (Image)

Est.US$500

1915 (21 Oct) picture postcard ("Native Kanaks on Saipan"), sent without franking by a Japanese sailor at "Saipan Island, Southern Ocean Islands" to Kyoto, canceled "Naval Ship Postal Agency 2" (assigned to the "Kagoshima Maru" from December 5, 1914 to December 22, 1915), red censor mark, v.f., rare, one of perhaps only 4-5 recorded examples of Mariana mail sent through the Japanese military postal system during the war (Image)

Est.US$500

1919 (18 June) Imperial Post Office, Yokohama, Official Business cover endorsed "Saipan", with Japanese franking canceled "Saipan Imperial Naval Post Office", Saipan registry handstamp and label, framed Yokohama No.C101 by hand, addressed to Switzerland, Zurich transit and Basel (25.VIII.19) arrival pmk, fine and attractive cover (Image)

Est.US$500