DESCRIPTION

2¢ Red Brown (146) and 10¢ Brown (150), two 2¢ and four 10¢ stamps tied by circle of wedges cancels, “U.S. Postal Ag’cy Shanghai Jul. 3” (1874) circular datestamp on cover to Heinrich Harbeck, care of Frederick Huth, Gruning & Co. in Tacna, Peru, printed return address on backflap “J. Groth & Co., Ningpo” and manuscript “Despatched by Carl Timm, China”--Carl F. Timm is listed in 1875 directory as a merchant--sender’s route directive “via San Francisco”, carried on the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. branch line steamer New York, departing Shanghai on July 9, 1874, and arriving in Yokohama on July 15, in time to catch the PMSS Colorado departure on July 19, which arrived in San Francisco on August 8--“San Francisco Cal. Aug. 9” transit datestamp, magenta “12” credit handstamp applied in San Francisco; prepaid for the obsolete 34¢ British Mail rate to Peru (plus 10¢ from China to U.S.), but the rate was reduced to 22¢ in 1871, so this was overpaid 12¢ (credit to British post office was 12¢)

PROVENANCE

* Seymour Kaplan (bought in Siegel 1977 Rarities of the World, 3/23/1977, Sale 510, lot 123)

* Stephen Albert, Richard C. Frajola private treaty catalogue, lot 178

* Drucker Family, Siegel Auction Galleries, 2/25/2003, Sale 855, lot 23, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

* Frajola-Perlman-Scamp, U.S. Post Offices in China and Japan 1867-1874, fig. 6-42, p. 123

CONDITION NOTES

* Very Fine; small rectangular piece cut out of backflap, a few tiny stamp flaws

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