【Autumn 2023 Sales Special Features: The Largest Recorded Franking Of The Wide Margin 5 Cand】
1882 Tientsin (14 Jul) to the Peking Office of the Viceroy of Chihli. Red band cover, f.w. Large Dragon wide margin 3ca brown red (setting VI or VII) + 5ca pale yellow-ochre in horizontal strip of 4 (setting III, pos. 6-20-13-14) and 5 (full row of 7-5-4-12-8) on reverse, 16 times base rate, tied by multiple oval Tientsin type 1 seal, showing “Customs/Tientsin” double-ring d.s. and framed Chinese datestamp of the Tientsin Customs. Very fine and an exceptional internal franking, only one other cover has been recorded with as many examples of the wide margin 5candarins. A wonderful exhibition item of the highest calibre. Opened out for display.
Note: There are approximately 8-10 covers recorded from the “Po Shu Ta Chu” (Post Office), which had taken over the functions of the defunct Hwa Yang Shu Hsin Kuan following its closure in 1882. The majority of covers known are either from the Starr collection or in the Chinese National Postage Stamp Museum. Since the “Po Shu Ta Chu” operated under the direct management of the Tientsin Customs, their mail had stamps affixed. All these covers were between July-December, 1882.
Provenance: Starr (Sotheby’s, 12-13 September 1991, ot 303, realized GBP40,700). Siegel Auctions, 23 April 1996, lot 31. Illustrated as plate 147 on p. 253-254 in “A Comprehensive Illustration on Covers of Chinese Large Dragons” by James B. Whang. Cf. Lisa and Sven Beckeman, “Large Dragons on Red Band Covers, Journal of Chinese Philately, No. 280, Vol. 39, No.5, pp. 113-115
【秋拍拍品介紹：貼有最多的寬邊大龍票的撥駟達封】
1882.7.14 天津寄北京直隸總督駐京公所，背貼寬邊大龍3分銀 + 5分銀橫四連 + 5分銀橫五連，銷橢圓形天津篆文戳，另鈐天津關日戳及撥駟達書信館碑形戳。十六倍郵資之例子，封已 剖開展出，左側兩票有缺角，無損其撥駟達書信館與高面值封之雙重珍罕性。
出自斯塔遺集，1991.9.12-13蘇富比拍賣第303項。以40700英鎊成交。1996.4.23 Siegel lot 31。
黃建斌著《大龍信封存世考》第253-254頁第147號圖。