5c Blue (179). Tied by circle of wedges cancel, "U.S. Postal Ag'cy Shanghai Jul. 26" (1882) circular datestamp on cover from Tientsin, China, to R. Fred Weller in Westfield, Massachusetts, sender's directive "Via San Francisco", used with China 1882 Wide Setting 1ca Dark Green (4a) and 5ca Orange Yellow (6), tied on back by two strikes of large Tientsin seal (Type B), also on back are "Customs Tientsin Jul. 17 82" and "Customs Shanghai Jul. 21 82" double-circle datestamps (the latter tying 5ca stamp)--carried on the Occidental & Oriental Steamship Co. Coptic, arriving San Francisco August 27, 1882--magenta "San Francisco Cal. Pd. All Aug. 28" circular datestamp and "Westfield Mass. Sep. 4" octagonal receiving datestamp, receipt docketing "Westfield Sept. 4", opened for display, 5ca with tiny tear at top, slight wear at right

VERY FINE. ONE OF ELEVEN COVERS WITH UNITED STATES AND CHINA LARGE DRAGON MIXED FRANKINGS--AMONG THIS ELITE GROUP OF POSTAL HISTORY ARTIFACTS, THIS IS ONE OF FOUR WITH THE 5-CANDARINS VALUE, ONE OF THREE WITH THE 7-CANDARINS FULLY PREPAID RATE, ONE OF FIVE USED FROM TIENTSIN, AND IT IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED USE OF THE ONE-CANDARIN WIDE SETTING ISSUE. A MAGNIFICENT COVER WITH MULTI-FACETED APPEAL.

The Postal Tariff of November 1879 notice set the rate between any two Customs post offices at a uniform 3 candarins. Postage could be paid by affixing the 3-candarins Chinese stamp to the back of the cover and affixing the UPU-member nation's stamp to the address side. Alternatively, the sender could affix 7 candarins in Chinese stamps to the back--the additional 4 candarins was sufficient to pay for the UPU postage at the postal agency dispatching the mail to other countries.

In this case the 7 candarins fully prepaid postage was paid with two 1ca Dark Green stamps and one 5ca Orange Yellow stamp, both values from the Wide Setting plates. At the Customs Post Office in Shanghai, the 5c 1875 Issue stamp was affixed. It was cancelled at the U.S. Postal Agency in Shanghai and paid the UPU rate to the United States.

A total of 11 genuine covers with U.S. and China Large Dragon stamps are recorded (updated Whang census). Only 3 covers have U.S. and China Large Dragon mixed frankings reflecting the 7 candarins fully prepaid postage. A fourth cover has two 1ca and two 5ca stamps paying the double 6ca rate. The cover offered here is the earliest recorded use of the 1ca Wide Setting, according to the James B. Whang census book.

Whang census no. 148 (illustrated on color plate, p. 413). llustrated in Robert Pratt book (p. 214).

Ex Dr. Philip W. Ireland, and Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman.

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