10c Green, Type III (15). Positions 85-89R1, horizontal strip of five, Position 87R1 with curl to the right of left "X", large margins all around, beautiful rich color and sharp impression, four stamps at right have small pen cancels which have been lightened (causing trivial scrape on center stamp), tied by "Dry Town Cal. 15 Jun." (1857) circular datestamp on buff cover to Reverend William Aitchison in Shanghai, China, sent from San Francisco by private ship to Hong Kong, red "Paid at Hong-Kong" British crown-circle handstamp and red crayon "4" pence prepaid British rate to Shanghai, "Hong-Kong 13 OC 1857" datestamp on back, pencil receipt docketing on back "Frank A. Gill, Willlow Springs, May 17 57", slightly refolded around edges to improve appearance

EXTREMELY FINE. A SPECTACULAR 10-CENT 1855 IMPERFORATE ISSUE FRANKING USED ON A COVER FROM THE GOLD MINING TOWN OF DRYTOWN, CALIFORNIA, TO SHANGHAI, CHINA, WHICH WAS CARRIED FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO HONG KONG BY PRIVATE SHIP. THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED COVER BEARING STAMPS FROM THE UNITED STATES TO THE FAR EAST THAT WAS CARRIED ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

This extraordinary cover originated in Willow Springs, a California gold mining town in Amador County, located about five miles from the Drytown post office. For some reason, the Drytown postmark was applied about one month after the letter was written by Frank A. Gill on May 17, 1857 (based on docketing). It was prepaid 50c with a strip of 10c 1855 Issue stamps, presumably because the sender expected it would be sent to New York for a transatlantic packet and further carriage to China through the British Mail system. The highest rate would have been 50c via Marseilles (45c plus 5c surcharge for mail from California). If sent via Southampton, the rate would have been 38c (33c plus 5c). As it turned out, the San Francisco post office chose an entirely different route.

The cover probably reached San Francisco around June 17, 1857. The next sailing for the East Coast via Panama was on July 4. However, instead of waiting for the Panama departure, the San Francisco post office placed the letter on a private ship bound for China. It was probably the brig Bonito, which cleared San Francisco for Hong Kong on June 29 (Daily Alta California). Someone in Hong Kong, probably the U.S. Consul, received the letter and paid the 4-pence British postage to Shanghai. The British Post Office applied the "Paid at Hong-Kong" crown-circle handstamp and red crayon "4" rate. It was carried on the Peninsular & Oriental Line Lady Mary Wood, departing Hong Kong on October 14 (one day after the Hong Kong backstamp) and arriving at Shanghai on October 20.

The addressee, Reverend William Aitchison, was the subject of a book, Five years in China: or, The factory boy made a missionary. The life and observations of Rev. William Aitchison, late missionary to China, by Reverend Charles P. Bush (available at http://name.umdl.umich.edu/ABA3681.0001.001 ). After the deaths of his new wife and their infant child, the distraught but devoted Reverend Aitchison was ordained for missionary work on his 28th birthday, January 4, 1854. Three months later, he and his Yale classmate, Reverend Henry Blodget (see lots 2009-2010), departed New York for Canton on the bark Candace. On August 4, 1854, Aitchison and Blodget arrived in Hong Kong, and shortly thereafter they embarked for Shanghai, arriving on September 1. At this time Shanghai was the scene of fighting between Imperial and insurgent forces. Reverend Aitchison spent the next five years doing missionary work and traveling throughout eastern China. He died in 1859 from the effects of dysentery.

Illustrated in Coburn Letters of Gold (p. 140) and Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book (p. 23).

Ex Emmerson C. Krug (listed in Stanley B. Ashbrook's typewritten inventory of collection, July 1949, item 63, described as a "gorgeous show piece and one of the finest 10c 1855 covers known."), Marc Haas and Michael Perlman.

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