Lot
654 
Hong Kong, 1933-38 Hong Kong Airmail Covers. 5 covers; from G.B., U.S. & Indo-China, also to US and Germany, 1) cover (minor opening damage at top and back flap), with GB KGV 1/-, 6d pair, and 1 ½ d stamps, cancelled "Templecombe - S.O. 23 Ja 33", with "Saigon Central Cochinchine 3 -2 33" transit cds, and "Hong Kong 11 Fe 33" (Webb type M) arrival cds. An early and seldom seen commercial usage by Air Orient to Saigon, and then by ship to Hong Kong, this service having begun in Aug 1932. 2) Cover bearing IndoChine airmail adhesives, cancelled "Hanoi R.R. Tonkin 9 - 7 38", with a second strike on the back: 12-7 38, and 13 July cachet commemorating the first of four Air France trial flights to Hong Kong. Pair of Hong Kong KGVI 2c on back cancelled 14 JY 38. 3) From US bearing 5c Teddy Roosevelt stamps (14), cancelled "San Francisco Calif. Dec 31" duplex, with inverted "1937" between, and "Clipper Ship Air Mail" cachet. 4) Envelope franked $2.40, cancelled "Victoria Hong Kong 11 De 37", double the $1.20 airmail rate to Europe. An internal Lufthansa letter, although pre-WWII Hong Kong airmail service was not provided by that company. Carried by Imperial Airways on its last service via Penang. 5) Envelope with KGV $3 green and black, $1 purple and blue, and 20c violet and green stamps, cancelled "Victoria Hong Kong 4 Ja 37". This $4.20 per half ounce rate for sea mail (20c) from Hong Kong to Manila, then Pan American Airways "China Clipper" service to San Francisco was in effect only Mar 1936 to Apr 1937. About a dozen examples of this $4.20 rate for combination sea / air transpacific routing seen. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $250