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Auction: 13027 - The Collector's series sale
Lot: 2208

Japan
1911 Royal Visit to Portsmouth of the Japanese Battle Cruiser H.I.J.M.S. 'Kurami' en route to Portsmouth for the Coronation of King George V, to be attended by Prince Higashi Fushimi Yorihito. A collection of letters from a young seaman on board this trip to his fiancée or her parents in Fukushima prefecture. The collection of letters commences whilst the 'Karuma' was still in port in Yokosuka, the second letter giving a full and detailed itinerary of the voyage. The following nineteen letters were all sent in closed bags back to Japan, each bearing handstruck or manuscript "Battleship Mail" in red with unframed (8) boxed type (4) and manuscript (7), these being sent from Singapore, Colombo, Port Said, Gibraltar (2), Dover (2), Barrow, Rosyth, Le Havre (2), Toulon, Civitavecchia, Malta (4), Port Said and Colombo, the final item is a picture post card of the warship sent on its return to Yokosuka. A highly important and desirable collection as all mail bearing the warship mail marking is particularly scarce. All are franked at 3s. apart from the postcards (7) which bear 1½s. franking and are cancelled on arrival at Kobe or Tsuruga. (23 covers). Photo

Estimate
£5,000 to £6,000