【Spring 2025 Sales Special Features: Extremely scarce and clear strike of Webb type 4 Hong Kong Post Office Royal Arms h.s.】
1842 Captain Henry William Bruce, HMS Agincourt, Hong Kong (13 Oct) to Ireland. Entire letter, applied with extremely scarce and clear strike of Webb type 4 Hong Kong Post Office Royal Arms h.s., alongside with oval “”INDIA”” postmark and “”2/8”” manuscript. Arrived Coleraine (8 Feb). The content is mostly about the local Chinese lifestyle of living on boats and pending visit to Macau. Very interesting. Webbs stated that there are about 20 covers with this Royal Arms h.s. known to exist while Dr. Andrew Cheung recorded 74 covers. This example, moreover, was dated very early. Illustration in China Philatelic Association, Hong Kong Bulletin Issue 229 (Feb 2001). 2009 (Jul) Interasia lot 1212, realized HKD$109,250.Another Henry Bruce’s correspondence mentioning the his escort of war reparation of 5 million silver dollar back to England was offered by AVA Auctions in sale 2, lot 804.
【春拍拍品介紹：極罕之Webb 4型香港郵局盾徽戳記】
1842.10.13 英軍戰艦艦長Henry William Bruce寄愛爾蘭。郵簡，鈐極罕之Webb 4型香港郵局盾徽戳記，旁見橢圓形“INDIA”戳及2/8郵資。2.8抵Coleraine。信中內容提到香港艇戶之生活方式及即將到達澳門，十分有趣。Webb指蓋有此盾徽戳記之郵例約二十件，張文德醫生則記錄七十四件。此例日期甚早，十分難得。志豪著《不在香港拍賣的香港珍郵》（《中郵會訊》2001年2月號229期）圖例原件。2009年7月Interasia拍品號1212，成交價港幣109,250元。另一件Henry William Bruce之書信曾提到，他親自押運清政府的白銀賠款回英國。該信曾於艾華第2期拍賣中出售，拍品號804。