Lot
576 
Hong Kong, 1860 Shanghai incoming to Boston, Mass. forwarded to Yokohama, partial "Boston Br Pkt Paid Apr 18" cds, pencil 39 which was rate for up to a quarter of an ounce for British Mail via Marseilles, and red crayon 34c credit to G.B., with additional crayon 1 representing 1d GB credit to Hong Kong for transit, a very early example of this credit after Hong Kong took over management of her postal affairs on 1 May 1860, postmarked red "Paid London 30 Ap 60" transit cds and manuscript "Boston Apl. 15, 1860 / Yokohama July 26th 1860" docketing at left with manuscript 1860 over #4 which is believed to represent 4th letter received, as a 14 Dec 1859 cover from same correspondence was annotated #3. On back: "Hong Kong 21 Ju 60" transit cds, circular script F & Co., and framed "Frazar & Co. Shanghae", who forwarded this cover to Yokohama. Frazar & Co. is listed in Rowe as a forwarder from Shanghai with an oval hand-stamp, but much later (1899-1908), F.-V.F. Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
Carried per Cunard Line steamer "Niagara": departing Boston 18 Apr, arriving Queenstown 29 Apr. Per P&O "Vectis": Marseille 12 May - Alexandria 18 May; Colombo: Suez 19 May - Galle 4 June; Pekin: Galle 5 June, via Hong Kong 21-23 June, to Shanghai 27 June (Pekin also brought part of previous mail recovered from Malabar after she was wrecked at Galle). Probably carried by P&O Cadiz from Shanghai, 18 July, to Nagasaki, 20 July, although it is uncertain if she continued on to Yokohama. Mail to and from Japan during this period is extremely scarce, as there was no organized foreign postal service operating in Japan, and P&O service to Japan, which was only just beginning, was intermittent due to British Government chartering of some ships for use in Third China War. This piece is from a group of about 15, and one of only three with postal markings.
Realized: $3,500