Lot
584 
Hong Kong, 1868 Hong Kong to Belleville, N.J., Mail Delayed By Breakdown. 12¢ and 30¢ QV stamps cancelled "B62", red manuscript "1/8" credit to GB + 1d retained by Hong Kong on front, "Hong Kong, My 14, 68" cds on back, and on front "London, Paid, 4 Jy, 68" transit cds, GB "3 Cents" rocking horse credit to U.S., "New York Paid All Jul 15" arrival cds; small central cover tear at top, Very Fine, this 42¢ via Marseille rate was effective 1 Jan 68 - 31 Dec 69, but 3 cents credit was only effective for about 10 months, then lowered to 2c. Estimate $300 - 400.
P&O Malacca departed Hong Kong 15 May carrying this cover and reached Galle on 31 May. P&O Surat left Galle 1 June with this mail. When about 500 miles from Galle under full force of the monsoon, Surat apparently threw a propeller blade into her hull, causing a leak bad enough to force her to return to Galle. Mails returned to Galle by damaged Surat were forwarded on S.S. Dacca, which probably connected with Sumatra at Aden. Sumatra arrived at Suez on 26 June with Bombay mails, along with China and Japan mails from Surat when she suffered the accident to her screw. Ceylon carried these mails from Alexandria, 27 June, to Marseille, 2 July. Cunard Cuba took US portion of these mails from Liverpool, 4 July, to New York, 14 July. Only one other cover from China, carried by Surat when she broke down, has been recorded.
Realized: $2,000
Lot
585
Hong Kong, 1869 Hong Kong to Boston, Mass. Cover franked with two slightly overlapping 8¢ QV stamps cancelled "B62", red manuscript "8" pence rating for a half to one ounce transpacific letter and red "Hong Kong, Paid All, Oc 18 69" cds, "San Francisco, Nov 22, Paid All" transit cds on reverse plus partial "Dec 1" receipt datestamp; cover with small front cover corner nick at top left, otherwise Very Fine, carried by P.M.S.S. Co. to Japan from Hong Kong on 19 Oct. via Yokohama to San Francisco on 22 Nov. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $550
Lot
586
Hong Kong, 1870 Hong Kong to London, England. Ladies cover bearing QV 2¢ brown and 30¢ orange for 32¢ per half ounce rate via Marseille to G.B., cancelled "B62", with adjacent "1/4" rating, backstamped "Hong Kong Mr 21 70" & "London S.E. My 2 70"; couple small cover tears and slight edge wear, Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $210
Lot
587
Hong Kong, 1870-75 Hong Kong to London, England. 2 covers; 1870 cover with 8¢ and 24¢ QV stamps cancelled "B62", with red manuscript "¼" rating for a letter not over a ½ ounce sent via Marseille, "Hong Kong Ju 9 70" cds on back, and "London-NW Jy 26 70 Paid" cds on front, and 1875 cover with 30¢ QV stamp cancelled "B62", with "Hong Kong Jy 3 75" cds on back, and "London Paid 16 Au 75" cds on front; first cover with small nick on 8¢ stamp, F.-V.F., carried by P&O Nizam from Hong Kong, 4 July, to Egypt, 7 Aug, then by P&O China to Brindisi. First voyage by China from Egypt to Brindisi, and her only one on that route until 1878. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $850
Lot
588
Hong Kong, 1871 Hong Kong to London by French Packet. Cover with two 8¢ wing margin singles and 48¢ (damaged) QV stamps cancelled "B62", red manuscript "2/4" double rating for a ½ - 1 ounce letter sent by French packet via Marseille which did not reopen to British mails after the Franco-Prussian war until 30 June 1871, although rate to GB by British packet via Brindisi was reduced from ¼ to 1/3 per half ounce on 16 Jan 71, rate by French packet via Marseille was not correspondingly lowered to 1/3 until 29 Apr 72, "Hong Kong Sp 8 71" cds and "London-WC Oc 23 71" cds on back., Fine, carried by Messageries Maritimes Cambodge from Hong Kong, 8.9, through Suez Canal to Marseille, 21.10. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $350
Lot
589
Hong Kong, 1871 Hong Kong to London, Late Fee. Cover with 18¢ and 30¢ orange vermilion QV stamps cancelled "B62", red manuscript "1/3" rating for up to a half ounce letter sent by British packet via Brindisi, this rate having been reduced from ¼ to 1/3 per half ounce on 16 Jan 71, "Hong Kong Ju 9 71" cds (sailing day) on back, and "London-NW Paid JY 22 71" cds on front; 18¢ stamp with nick in top right, Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
Carried on the first voyage by P&O "Australia" from Hong Kong, 9 June, through Suez Canal, 13-14 July, the 18¢ stamp paid the late fee for a letter posted after 9 AM on day of sailing - about 10 examples seen.
Realized: $1,350
Lot
590
Hong Kong, 1871 Hong Kong to London, 48¢ Late Fee. Cover bearing 48¢ and 30¢ vermilion QV stamps cancelled "B62", red manuscript "1/3" rating for up to a half ounce letter sent by British packet via Brindisi, "Hong Kong Au 18 71" cds (sailing day), rectangular "London-EC Sp 30 71" and "London-NW Sp 30 71" cds's all on back, F.-V.F. Estimate $750 - 1,000.
The 48¢ stamp paid the late fee for a letter posted on board the P&O steamer on the day of sailing, first voyage of P&O Tanjore from Hong Kong 18 Aug, to Galle, 4 Sep. and first voyage of the P&O Sumatra from Galle 6 Sep. to Suez 22 Sep., the only recorded 48¢ late fee usage.
Realized: $3,000
Lot
591
Hong Kong, 1874 Foochow to Hong Kong. Cover franked with 8¢ QV stamp cancelled "B62", paying ship letter fee for half to one ounce inter-port letter, reverse with blue "Foo Chow Foo, My 3 74" departure and "Hong Kong, My 7 74" arrival cds's; faint cover edge toning, F.-V.F. Estimate $400 - 600.
Carried by private steamer "Kwang Tung". While mail between Hong Kong and Treaty Ports is far less common than mail from Hong Kong to overseas destinations, mail from Foochow to Hong Kong is particularly scarce, only one earlier Foochow to Hong Kong cover having been recorded by Gurevitch.
Realized: $900
Lot
592
Hong Kong, 1876, 48¢ pale rose + 6¢ lilac. Tied by two strikes of "B62" barred oval cancel on fresh 1866 folded letter from Shanghai to New Bedford, Mass., reverse with blue "Shanghai, Ap 22, 66" and Hong Kong transit cds's. red "N. York, Am Pkt., Jun 26" entry cds and matching "21 Cents" handstamp, receiving backstamp, Very Fine. SG No. 17+10. Scott No. 21+12 Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $475
Lot
593
Hong Kong, 1879 Ohio to Hong Kong. U.S. 3¢ green entire uprated with 1¢ pair + 5¢ pair and single for a total of 20¢, double the 10¢ per ½oz. transpacific rate to Hong Kong, cancelled by blue cork killer, partial Ohio, Jan 16 cds at left, endorsed "Care of the American Consul", "Hong Kong, Mr 19 79" backstamp, otherwise F.-V.F. Scott No. U.S. 156+179 Estimate $150 - 200.
Apparently the letter just missed 21 Jan departure of Oriental & Occidental S.S. Co. "Belgic" from San Francisco, so was held for next steamer, the O&O "Gaelic" which left San Francisco on 18 Feb. and reached Hong Kong on 19 Mar., Hong Kong newspaper reported that the Gaelic "rescued Capt. Ashton (et. al.) from the wreck of the S.S. Yesso, which vessel was totally lost on the White Rocks".
Realized: $475