Lot 167
1858 (Feb. 2) Boston Ms. to Shanghai, China, blue folded cover bearing 5¢ red brown (12) three margins, slightly in at bottom, tied by "Boston 3 Feb" c.d.s., red "New-York Br. Pkt. Feb 3" exchange office c.d.s., boxed "Returned for Postage" handstamps, additional postage paid in cash for the 33¢ rate, reverse with "New-York Br. Pkt. Mar 9" transit and magenta "28" credit, "Hong Kong 22 MY 1858" backstamp receiver; aging slightly reduced, 5¢ lifted and replaced, Very Fine, attempted prepayment of 5¢ British open mail rate which was unavailable to Shanghai, resent at the 33¢ British mail rate. Illustrated in Frajola and Mayer, p. 130, fig. 11-4.
Estimate 15,000 - 20,000
THE ONLY RECORDED 1856 5¢ USAGE TO SHANGHAI CHINA, AS WELL AS THE ONLY RECORDED USE OF THE AUXILIARY MARKING "RETURNED FOR POSTAGE" WITH THIS STAMP.
Expertization: 1981 P.F. Certificate.
This cover is from the Heard correspondence to Shanghai posted from the same sender and on the same day as lot 165. The cover was prepaid for the 5¢ British open mail rate, which was not valid for mail to Shanghai. A New York exchange office clerk originally marked the cover with the February 3 datestamp and then realized his error. The cover was then struck with the exchange office’s red "Returned For Postage" handstamp and the letter was returned to Boston.
At Boston, an additional amount of postage, 28¢ to make the total rate of 33¢ was eventually paid in cash and the letter was returned to New York City for transmission. At New York the letter was bagged for Cunard Line mail and a new exchange office datestamp of March 9 was struck on the reverse. After crossing out the day in the New York datestamp, and the "Returned For Postage" handstamps, a clerk marked the letter with the correct 28¢ credit notation.
The letter departed Boston on the Cunard Line steamer America on March 10 and arrived at Liverpool on March 22, 1858. From Liverpool the letter went to London where it was postmarked with a London Paid March 23 datestamp after a clerk originally rated it as due and correctly crossed out the due notation. The cover then caught the sailing of the Peninsular & Oriental Line steamer Colombo, which departed Southampton on April 4 and arrived at Alexandria on April 17. After an overland trip, the letter reached Suez and was carried from there on the steamer Bentinck, which departed April 20 and arrived at Galle, Ceylon, on May 7. It was then placed on the P&O Line steamer Norna, which departed Galle on May 7 and arrived at Hong Kong on May 21, 1858.
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| Realized $21,000 |
