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Auction: 5018 - Stamps of Hong Kong & China
Lot: 1412

China I-Chan Covers An outstanding and comprehensive exhibition collection of these official covers arranged in eight volumes with examples from an 1840 cover from Chang Lu Du Salt Delivery Office, other early dates with 1845 from Tientsin, 1858 from T´ai An county, 1863 cover from Shantung with black printing, 1874 cover , with contents, from Tientsin Salt Department. Later covers include an unused cover from Sha La Chi, Tibet, marked "Deliver day and night by horse. Quick! Quick! Express! and with large red seal, 1884 cover from the governor in charge of military affairs, Ocean Defence Area bearing three purple seals, 1888 cover sent from the Imperial Palace in Peking by the department in charge of the marriage of Emperor Guan Xu, 1891 cover, with contents, from Shanghai tax collecting department, 1892 express cover from Chen Ning county marked "Do not damage or delay, otherwise will be severely punished" and "deliver day and night, rain or not", 1892 cover (some water damage) from the teacher of the Imperial Princess with three purple seals, 1895 cover from the governor of Tientsin Province with three large purple seals, 1895 express cover sent the head of the tax collecting bureau in Yatung, Tibet, 1896 impressive cover from the governor of Hunan Province with black printing and three purple seals, particularly rare with the original Pai Tan still attached, all thirty-nine courier station spaces completed plus others added alongside, 1898 cover with the year printed, 1898 cover with small red delivery slip attached, 1899 cover from remote eastern province, 1900 cover with contents from the young Emperor, though the Department of Defence, to the governor of Hunan province requesting money for the defence of Tientsin, marked "Turn this over to the Department of the Army and deliver Urgent Express to the Governor of Hunan Province at least 600 Li per day" (the normal express was 300 to 400 Li per day, so this message was of the utmost urgency), 1900 Pai Tan cover, 1902 cover from Yunnan Province, 1880´s yellow silk envelope, 1902 from the governor of Shantung with purple seals, 1902 envelope to the Forbidden City with the Pai Tan attached (not filled in), 1902 cover with contents form the Department of Defence to the governor of Hunan Province, 1904 cover from the army commander in charge of the defence of Peking area with large purple seal, 1904 cover with purple seal, 1905 cover from a general with purple seals, 1907 covers (3) from Tientsin with purple seals, 1907 cover to the Chinese Army Department bearing three fine strike of the Legation of the United States of America and 1907 cover bearing a presentation to the Emperor bearing two strikes of the Legation of the Russian Empire (believed to be the only recorded cover), 1908 cover with contents for promotion to Right Fleet Chief and a group addressed to second division chief of the Right Fleet (4, one with contents), 1909 cover from the U.S. Ambassador bearing the ambassador´s Chinese seal (possibly unique), 1911 first year of the Republic, 1940-41 covers from Department of Transportation Tian Mian (Yunnan and Burma), 1940-41 covers from Japanese occupied Nanking but with regular Chinese stamps (with enclosure). The condition is variable, as usually encountered with these large covers, most are with folding creases; however, in general the condition is unusually good to fine. The collection concludes with a volume of documents, awards, licences and warrants dated between 1816 to 1909 including 1908 land document bearing the purple seal of the governor of the North Three Provinces; and a volume of Official Return Receipts dated between 1849 and 1911 which includes 1849 from Red Flag Department, 1904from the Mongolia Section of the Council of Advisors, 1905 from the Temple of Heaven Department of Revenue, 1907 from Department of War from the general in charge of the defence of Peking, and 1910 document from the department responsible for the forthcoming marriage of the Emperor, printed in purple. A magnificent collection which includes many rare and desirable covers and would form an ideal basis for further study and development into an important exhibition collection. (155 covers and 47 documents). Photo Estimate HK$ 500,000-800,000

Sold for
HK$500,000