Ava Summer Seduction!
In our last three auctions, Ava Auctions have consistently achieved the highest sales records in Chinese postal history, set new records for individual lots, and attracted an increasing number of high-end items to Ava, creating a more convenient, efficient, and professional platform for vendors and collectors alike.
Ava summer auction, which will be held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong on July 8-9, 2023, has many exciting offerings. May I take you through some of these? Firstly, having expanded from three volumes of auction catalog to five, it will be expanded further to six or seven, covering a wider range of postal items and providing collectors with more choices. The catalogs are:
- The Large and Small dragons
- The First Republic: Chinese commemoratives, 1912-1929
- Japanese-occupied China
- Foreign and Local Post Offices in Shanghai
- Hong Kong, Macao, Canton, Siam & Foreign
- Imperial, Republican & New China in one or two volumes
This session of the extraordinary Hermitage Collection sales is dedicated to the Large and Small Dragons. The first Customs Post marking will begin the first day of the auction. No doubt the star is the only known Large Dragon cover taking the winter route with Chinkiang transit, followed by combination covers bearing Large and Small Dragons, as well as Small Dragons and Empress Dowager, of which only a few are known to exist. There are also choice selection of Large Dragon essays, proofs and large multiples as well as rare cancellations.
The Commemoratives of China features a complete set of the famous unissued commemoratives depicting the Map of China, as well as essays and proofs, mint stamps and their usages from the first issue of the Republic of China to the Northern Expedition unification. Together they retell the turbulent history of that period. On the other hand, the Japanese-occupied China session reflects the humiliating past through usage of stamps issued by puppet regimes set up by the Japanese occupiers during WWII.
The second day’s Shanghai Post and Shanghai local post offices session consists of earliest postmarks of the foreign post offices in China, including the famous “Large Crown” and the rarer “Shanghai Paid” postmark of the British. Other examples includes the first year stamped and unstamped usage of the French Post in 1863, first-year use of the Japanese Post, first-year use of the German Post, first-year use of the Russian Post, and rare items abound. Shanghai Local Post was established in 1863. The first postmark used was engraved with “SHANGHAI / LOCAL / POST OFFICE”. There were only 2 examples recorded. This is illustrated here was not previously recorded and earlier. Another item is an envelope mailed from Chinkiang to Shanghai on March 4, 1879, one of the earliest combination covers of the Customs Large Dragon with Shanghai Local Post Offices, also the earliest Large Dragon cover of Chinkiang, and the earliest mailed envelope using 3-candarin inland postage. Other covers of the Local Post also deserve attention! It is a unique opportunity to acquire Shanghai postal history in one go.
In the Hong Kong, Macao, Canton, Siam & Foreign session, there are a variety of rare Macau maritime postmarks through Portuguese Crown “Pago em Macao” postmarks to choose from. Canton mail started from 1799. Hong Kong started from the Opium War, including 12.5o perf QV covers, late fees, QV revenue proofs and specimens.
Royal mails grace our Siam collection, followed by Straits Settlements and Hong Kong postage stamps used in Bangkok, as well as mailed cover with the first set of Siam postage stamps. Foreign postal items include greeting cards signed by the heads of state of various countries.
In the Liberated Area section, we offer several unique covers with impeccable provenance. There is a special section on the Cultural Revolution, including complete collection of Cultural Revolution covers, Mao Zedong badges, old photographs, old books and other cultural relics. Major rarities including Sunburst at Tian An Men and Large Format the Whole Country is Red.
With so many goodies, would you be enticed to attend our summer auction in person?
艾華夏拍 先睹爲快
艾華過往三場拍賣，持續取得了古典華郵最高銷售成績、單項郵品屢創新高，高端郵品加速向艾華集中，使藏家和賣家都有了個更方便、高效、專業的交易平臺，集聚效應明顯。
艾華夏拍，將於2023年7月8-9日在香港文華酒店舉辦。有什麽好東東？可以跟大家劇透一下。首先，拍賣目錄在春拍從3冊增加到5冊的基礎上，再增加到6冊，涵蓋了更多的郵品，給郵人更多選擇。包括：
- 大龍與小龍
- 北洋政府時期紀念郵票
- 日佔中國僞政權郵政史
- 上海客郵與上海工部書信舘
- 粵港澳暹罗與外國
- 大清、民國、新中國
第一天的高隱逸藏系列大龍與小龍專場，一如既往，質量上乘，海關郵政第一戳起首，流傳有序。其中有大龍冬令郵路帶鎮江中轉日戳獨一無二的實寄封，而大龍和小龍的混貼封、小龍和慈壽的混貼封存世量都僅僅幾件，大龍的樣票、和新舊票的大方聯，也非常難得。
北洋政府時期紀念郵票專場，大中華民國地圖紀念票成套，中華帝國樣票，北洋時期直到北伐統一所有紀念票樣票俱全，以郵票和實寄封反映了這段動蕩的歷史。緊接著的日佔中國僞政權郵政史專場，則透過抗戰時期僞政權未發行郵票樣張、延用、珍罕的使用，講述了中國一段不堪回首的往事。
第二天的上海客郵與上海工部書信舘專場，以最早期未貼郵票的3種郵戳起首，包括著名的“大皇冠”、名氣不如卻更爲珍罕的“上海已付”戳記，都可以一次擁有。上海英國客郵使用香港郵票後，各時期銷B62、S1和郵政日戳的實寄封，直到客郵結束，一應俱全。1863年法國客郵首年貼票和不貼票使用例子、日本客郵首年使用、德國客郵首年使用、俄羅斯客郵首年使用，珍品紛陳。
1863年，上海工部成立書信舘，書信舘使用的第一枚郵戳，刻上“SHANGHAI / LOCAL / POST OFFICE”，原來記錄只有兩件實寄封存世，我們這件更早！另一件1879年3月4日鎭江寄上海福利公司西式封，封面貼大龍薄紙叁分銀票一枚，是海關大龍與上海工部書信舘最早混貼封，也是鎮江最早大龍封，和最早使用3分銀内地郵資的實寄封。其他書信舘實寄封，也不容小覷！
粵港澳暹罗與外國專場中，澳門有各式存世不多、難得一見的海郵戳記，以白菜價亮相，葡文“郵資已付”戳記，也有精品可供選擇。廣州從1799年寄出的信件起首，各時期兼備。香港從鴉片戰爭開始，包含12度半齒郵票實寄封、晚到郵件資費、維多利亞稅票樣張、以及各類懷舊收藏品。暹罗有幾件珍貴的皇家郵件、海峽殖民地和香港郵票在曼谷使用、以及暹罗第一套郵票起首的實寄封。外國郵品包括有各國元首簽名的賀年片。
新中國部分，有文革小專場，包含文革票實寄封大全套、毛澤東胸章、老照片、舊書等文物，也有“放光芒”、“大一片紅”等大珍品，驚喜連連！