Lot 40545 – 1898 Envelope from Kiang Yin Forts to Germany, mixed franking 1897 1/2c on 3ca (4) and 1894-98 10pf (4)

1898 (Jan 4) Envelope from Kiang Yin Forts to Bethel bei Bielefeld (Germany), showing Shanghai Large Dollar dater on reverse, franked on front by 1897 Empress Dowager redrawn design 1/2c on 3ca (Chan 82) in two vertical pairs, including one stamp with”2″ of the “1/2” denomination almost completely missing, cancelled by “Pa-kua” hs of Shanghai, in mixed franking with 1894-98 10pf pair and two singles, tied by “SHANGHAI” cds’s; a very rare combination franking with the sender only paying the single 2ca internal rate with Chinese stamps in order to make the cover more attractive for the addressee, who was a stamp collector (see “Markenfreund” in the address).

Provenance: 1. Merkur (Stanley Gibbons) auction in Frankfurt (May 1972, lot 569), and Max J. Mayer.

Expertise: Signed Mansfeld (active in the 1958-1970’s) and Horst Pröschold (1922-1989).