Top 5 Items of the Month
No don’t worry, you haven’t gone back in time to May. I’m just playing catch up and will try and get June and July done in the next few days. Mind you I have been busy on the website over the summer even though it may not look it (since I’ve not posted since June…), but anyone looking on the main site will have noticed I have done some work on the essays, proofs and settings on some of the values.
Anyway, first up is this Express cover sent from Whitby to Stowmarket with a rare 1s green and carmine (this cover made a total of 87 1s green and carmine frankings recorded, although I’ve found two more in the meantime) along with a 4d and a 1d, thought to be paying 1d postage, 1s 3d express fee for 4-5 miles at 3d per mile and a 1d late fee. I was very happy to add this to my collection for the sum of £331.10.
I always like oddities like this 10d with the centre seemingly missing. All the green and purple inks used for printing the Jubilees were so-called “doubly fugitive”, which meant they were relatively easily affected by solvents (sometimes even just water) so that any attempt to remove a cancel would noticeably damage the appearance of the stamp. You can just about see a “ghost” of the original centre but it is first one I’ve seen on the 10d. An interesting curio for £23.
Speaking of oddities, this item caught my attention like a fire alarm. Unfortunately I had already missed it. But if I had seen it in time, I’m still not sure what I would have done because as far as I’m aware there are no bromide photographic essays of KEVII paste-ups recorded (at least not in the SG Specialised Volume 2). It looks properly perforated as well. If it is a new discovery then it is an absolute bargain at £60. So if anyone has any information about this I’m all ears!
Surprise of the month was definitely this 4½d Jubilee which sold for £49.75! And not because someone was mis-selling it as a deep carmine shade. Seven bidders were interested in this stamp because of the break in the frame above the top right “4”! Amazing…
And what could have been surprise of the month (although anything to do with China fetching huge sums shouldn’t really be a surprise any more) was this cover to the London Mission in Peking. It sold for a hefty £103 because of the rather indistinct “CUSTOMS / TIENTSIN” cds (Note: corrected thanks to Mel Kravitz’s comments below).
The 1887 Jubilee Issue 
For the London Mission in Peking cover, most likely a forgery, Customs/Canton?? The route in Feb, by sea would be London-> Hong Kong or B.P.O. Shanghai, turned over to Customs/Shanghai ( March 1896) for winter arrival a Black boxed “To-Pay” handstamp by Customs/Shanghai, with the sea frozen it would make a 12-13 day trip to Customs/Tientsin possibly also be marked with a “Red” Customs/Tientsin indicating postage dues by the addressee in Peking, U.P.U. postage in China in 1896 was not valid for postage, China was not a member of the U.P.U.
-Mel Kravitz
Sorry, my mistake. It’s a Customs/Tientsin handstamp and not Canton
OK, The cover traveled either directly from Hong Kong, or B.P.O. Shanghai (Cover Back is not shown), by the sea route the ‘RED’ Customs/Tientsin was applied at Port of Tientsin , Tang Ku, denoting a supplemental fee of 3ca. was due ( Postage Dues) to be paid by the recipient. The inter port postage in China was 3ca.