£600
KIUKIANG/SHANGHAI RARE EARLY CHINA/FRANCE COMBINATION COVER WITH RED OVAL "KIUKIANG/MAIL MATTER"; Remarkable 4th Apr. 1883 mourning env. (minor dusting) to London with a very fine red oval "KIUKIANG CUSTOMS/MAIL MATTER" mark on the front (partly visible) beneath a French 25c pale brown tied by partly a fine "SHANG-HAI/CHINE" c.d.s. (second clearer strike alongside), having partly fine 27th March red 2-ring "CUSTOMS/+ [KIU]KIANG +" and black 29th March "CUSTOMS/* S[HANGHAI] *" cds's on the flaps (along with 2-ring "LIGNE N/PAQ. FR. No.2" & London cds's. Very rare Combination Cover and an exceptionally early usage of a "MAIL MATTER" mark (none of which are recorded by Pratt before 1883). Found by a Cavendish describer unrecognised in a muddled mixed group of covers in the Vandervelde collection. [The only similar cover that we have recorded was dated 11 years later (1894) and had a Hong Kong stamp; Cavendish Richard Chan Mar. 2003 auction, lot 243; which realised £600.]Cross Reference: SHANGHAI, COMBINATION COVERS, FRENCH P.O.s ABROAD
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