【Empress Dowager Import Covers】
1894. Mourning cover with original letter within, from Matfield, Herts, United Kingdom to the British Legation in Chefoo via Tientsin, written by Lord Salisbury, Foreign Minister. Franked with QV 2½d stamp. Transit Hong Kong (21 Jan 95). Upon arrival at Shanghai (28 Jan), a 3ca Empress Dowager stamp was affixed, and Chefoo was crossed out from the address, then penciled “Peking?”. It took the Winter Overland Route to arrive Tientsin 11 Feb, dispatched the next day and arrived Peking 13 Feb with type 3 Customs cds, which only a dozen is said to exist. Holcombe certificate (1986). Not recorded by Kwan and preceded all records.
