379. Auktion

JAPAN – FRANCE: 1863, entire letter, written on New Year's Eve, to Limbach, Saxony, endorsed "Via Triest", prepaid till Alexandria with "1/-" in red ink with adjacent red boxed "PAID"; on reverse transit mark "HONG-KONG JA 16 64" and delivery handstamp of February 13. On front Trieste handstamp "6" for the conveyance beyond Alexandria, to be paid by the recipient. A fine and rare Letter.

Provenance: Arnim Knapp (357. Heinrich Köhler – Auktion, 2014)

JAPAN – FRANCE: 1869, complete printed matter (silk report), dated 'Yokohama, 4th December, 1869' to Lyon, carried by forwarder to Alexandria and posted at the Austrian post office, to be conveyed by the "DAMPFSCHIFFAHRT – GESELLSCHAFT DES ÖSTERR. LLOYD" (marked with blue sticker on front" to Trieste, then via Italy with the so-called 'Summit temporary railway' (before opening of the Mont Cenis Tunnel) to France with front side transit mark of St. Michel-Lans-le-Bourg. In France charged with "15" decimes total postage due. Several transit- and arrival marks on front and reverse. This is the only recorded letter via Trieste and the  'Summit temporary railway' from Japan to France or vice versa.

Provenance: Jun Ichi Matsumoto (illustrated in his book 'The French Post Office in Yokohama'

JAPAN (BRITISH PO) – AUSTRIA: 1871, entire letter from the Forwarding Agency Gütschow & Co. at Yokohama, franked with Hongkong 1863/71, 12 cents pale greenish blue, tied by clear blue "Y1" with matching reverse side "YOKOHAMA JA 14 71", to Vienna with transit mark of Hongkong and red arrival mark. The letter was part paid till Alexandria; for the conveyance to Vienna charged with "15" new kreuzer, to be paid by the recipient.