Lot 30775 – Italian Post Offices China 1918 reg cover with 20c

1918 (4.5.) registered philatelic cover to a Reverend at St Michaels Hospital in Peking bearing a franking that includes an unofficial surcharge ‘PECHINO/ 20 CENTS’ on 40c brown tied by three R.R. Poste Italiane Pechino Cina cds, another strike alongside, handstamped registration label below. There are various similar private surcharges listed in Sassone for example, it is certainly not unusual for members of an occupation force to find ways of entertaining themselves and their support staff through philately, as no records were kept numbers so surcharged unknown. This is the only 20c on 40c known. G. Avanzo Cert (2021). A rare opportunity to acquire a unique stamp.