Lot no. 1264

1864/71, 6 d. red-brown, 15 copies incl. a strip of 5 and a strip of 3, tied to front and reverse of opened out registered linen envelope from Okarito (manuscript note on reverse; a gold mining township of 1500 residents in 1866, today 30) with 3 copies 1 s. yellow-green applied in transit and Hokitika to Darmstadt in Germany, transported via Christchurch and on the 17th. voyage by the "Ruahine" via Panama and London with frontside "REGISTERED LONDON". Apart of the address deleted and few imperfections, but still fine and quite fresh. This is the highest recorded franking of this issue and one of 10 entires of the Chalon issues addressed to Germany. It has been suggested that the small Okarito Post Office may have run out of stamps with the quantity of 6d. values on this cover, and that an extra 3 x 1/- were added in transit at the Hokitika Post Office. Certificate RPS (2006) Reference: No. 2340 in the RPSNZ Provenance: Maurice Burrus (1963), John Woolfe (Spink, 2006)