362 / März 2016

HOLY LAND: Russian Levant registered cover with extremely scarce registration label on reverse ms. "Caifa" & "352", clear cancellations "ROPIT KAIFA" and at arrival in Germany additional railway registration label affixed on front, on reverse transit marks Constantinople and arrival mark Friedenau, a Levant rarity

HOLY LAND: cover from Haifa to Geneva, sent to a POW in Pietermartizburg Natal South Africa, very unusual and scarce

HOLY LAND; 1915, "GAZA", cds. on cover with Damas transit mark to Germany, large all Arabic "GAZA ASKERI HASTAHANESI SER TABIBI" (Military Hospital Gaza chief doctor) and signature mark under ms. "seen and censored", a Palestine WWI rarity

HOLY LAND: 1916, stampless cover from "JAFFA 5" (oct. type) to Roumania with postage due 50 bani on reverse, censor marks Beyrouth and Constantinople, few creases, very unusual

HOLY LAND: 1875, "YAFA" (Coles-Walker 135 & 136), two different types of blue cancellation on Turkey Duloz issue, "AKKA" box type, "SAFED" on pair and "JAFFA" on block of 4, very attractive and scarce Palestine forerunners

HOLY LAND: Hebrew Newspaper with Turkey 5 pa. tied by Jerusalem cds. and tax revenue 2 pa. brown alongside, 8 pages complete, tiny border toned, fine

MEDJDIL: "Telegraf ve Postahane-i Mecdil" and "Telgrafhane-i Gaza", good to very clear strikes on military correspondence telegram form; a fine and very rare item of Holy Land postal history, only few similar items known

HOLY LAND: Death certificate officially registered from Naplous sent with wrapper to a military address "Firka 19 Alay 35" tied by cds. "NAPLOUS" and fieldpost cancellation "SAHRA POSTASI 35" alongside, all Arabic "NAPLUS VATAN HASTAHANESI SER TABIBI" (Nablous Homeland Hospital chief doctor) under wrapper and signature, a Palestine WWI rarity

1871, Dragon mon issue: 48 m. brown, plate 1, wove paper, pos. 34, unused, fine and fresh, opinion Eichhorn BPP

48 m. brown, plate 1, wove paper, pos.10, unused, fine and fresh, opinion Eichhorn BPP

48 m. brown, plate 2, wove paper, pos. 8, large margins, very fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

48 m. brown, plate 2, wove paper, pos. 21, used with part-strike of large kensazumi of Tokyo, fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

100 m. dark-blue, plate 1, wove paper, pos. 18 with official pinhole at lower left, used by part of large kensazumi of Saikyo, slight toning, otherwise fine, certificate Eichhorn BPP

100 m. blue, plate 2, laid paper, pos. 24, partly slightly touched, used with part-strike of Mutsu province Kiban; a very rare cancellation on this issue, certificate Eichhorn BPP

200 m. vermilion, plate 1, wove paper, pos. 6, brilliant impression, unused, very fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

200 m. vermilion, plate 1, laid paper, fresh colour and clear to good margins, used with large Soshu Yokosuka kensazumi, fine, signed Thier and certificate Eichhorn BPP

200 m. vermilion, plate 1, pos. 10/18, vertical pair, slightly touched at bottom, otherwise good margins, top stamp with tiny nick due to opening and slight corner crease, tied by 2 strikes of framed Osaka-ken to small envelope to Kumamoto with faint vermilion arrival mark; manuscript vermilion "wusuku" (= insufficient) but not persued in Kumamoto (correct postage for basic weight letter); cover and stamps slightly creased, still an attractive and rare first issue entire, certificate Eichhorn BPP

200 m. vermilion, plate 2, laid paper, pos. 2, nice colour and large margins, used by framed postmark of Kagoshima; a very fine and rare stamp, certificate Eichhorn BPP

500 m. yellowish-green, earliest printing, plate 1, wove paper, pos. 16, large margins all around, used by part-strike of kensazumi, very fine, certificate Eichhorn BPP

500 m. yellow-green, earliest printing of plate 1 on laid paper, pos. 10, fresh colour and good margins all around, very fine and rare, certificate Eichhorn BPP

500 m. bluish-green, plate 1, laid paper, pos. 25, good margins and colour, unused, very fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

500 m. bluish-green, plate 1, laid paper, pos. 30, good margins and fresh colour, tiny gum stain, otherwise very fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

500 m. dark bluish-green, plate 2, laid paper, pos. 33, fresh colour and good to large margins, cancelled with central strike of boxed Tokyo "Ken"; a rare stamp in very fine condition, certificate Eichhorn BPP

1872, Dragon sen issue: ½ s. grey-blackish-brown, plate 2, brittle wove paper, pos.1, unused, very fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

5 s. bluish-green, brittle laid paper, pos. 7 with constant variety 'right dragon with tail design incomplete', copy with top sheet margin, unused, fine and scarce, certificate Eichhorn BPP (JSCA 8v-2-7-m)

1872/74, Cherry blossom issue without control number 10 s. pale yellowish-green, wove paper, unused o.g., fine and scarce, certificate Eichhorn BPP

10 s. light yellowish-green, laid paper, cancelled by beautiful strike of central negative Osaka kiban, minor rubbing on reverse, otherwise very fine, certificate Eichhorn BPP

30 s. grey-black, Matsuda printing on native wove paper, unused o.g., very fine, certificate Eichhorn BPP

6 s. slate-purple, syll. 3, wove paper, used with early framed irregular marking; a rare stamp in very fine condition, certificate Eichhorn BPP

1874, Cherry blossom girdle 6 s. slate-purple, syll. 5, wove paper, used with Tokyo double circle, fine, a scarce stamp, certificate Eichhorn BPP

1875, Birds 45 s. carmine, syll. 2, used with intaglio cross of Yokohama, fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

45 s. carmine, syll. 3, used, fine, certificate Eichhorn BPP

Cherry blossoms 1 s. light-brown, syll. 5, unused o.g., fine, certificate Eichhorn BPP

Cherry blossom issue with control mark 1 s. brown, syll. 7, used with kiban, fine, opinion Eichhorn BPP

6 s. orange, syll. 22, used with central intaglio cross; perforation at left partly scissors cut/reperforated, otherwise very fine; a rare stamp, certificate Eichhorn BPP

Issue without control marks: Butchi 1 s. brown, used with kiban tsu-1 = Sakai, Izumi province, fine and scarce, certificate Eichhorn BPP