1905 incoming cover from England to a PO Box at Johannesburg bearing 1d. KEVII tied Par.Station.R.S.O./ Cornwall cds, framed INCONNU/ UNKNOWN handstamp on front, reverse with Transvaal T.P.O. European Mail date stamp of 21 Sep, Reposted cds of 19.OCT and 27.OCT plus RETURNED LETTER OFFICE JOHANNESBURG cds of 6 Nov; some slight tone spotting.
1907 (25 Avril) cover to Vatomondry franked at printed matter rate with 1900-01 Sage 5c. yellow-green tied by Tananarive cds, addressee no found and straight-line INCONNU and two-line RETOUR/ A L’ENVOYEUR hand stamps applied, as a printed matter rate item, the return postage had to be paid for, so triangular framed ‘T’ handstamp applied and framed AFFRANCHISEMENT/ INSUFFISANT with imperf 10c. Postage Due applied and tied Tananarive cds; fine and rare usage, Ex Grabowski.
1907 (AP 24) cover addressed to a passenger on S.S. Rimutaka, Cape Town/ London to New Zealand franked pair 1d. KEVII tied Frome cds, Bristol transit on reverse of next day and Cape Town arrival of MY 14, missing the ship and forwarded to Lyttleton, Wellington with Cape Town P.B.S. cds of MY 14, Lyttelton arrival on 9 SP, octagonal Christchurch Unclaimed and two-line handstamp ADVERTISED/ UNCLAIMED. Vertical filing crease.
1912 (22.4.) incoming unfranked envelope from Leipzig, Germany to Majunga with framed ‘T’ handstamp and vertical pair of imperf 50c. Postage Dues applied (torn roughly from sheet with fault at top), arrival backstamp of 16 Mai. Envelope endorsed by sender that if not at Majunga to forward to Vatomandry with 8 Juin arrival backstamp where a horizontal strip of three 50c. Postage Dues applied, manuscript not found and return annotations, framed INCONNU and two-line RETOUR/ A L’ENVOYEUR, violet framed ZURUCK/ an den Absender, with variety of blue manuscript charges and on reverse PORTO handstamp; a fine and interesting item.
1914 (Sept 19) cover to Victoria, Texas franked 2c. and 3c. Constitucionalista Revenues tied by Matehuala S.Luis Potosi cds, underfanked and framed “5” charge handstamp raised, arrival cds at base of Sep 14, handstamped ‘Unclaimed’ and ‘Advertised’ plus two-line date stamp of OCT 14, reverse with Victoria duplex cancel of Oct 12; roughly opened at top with part missing, stamp affected by crease.
1915 (22.10.) plain card to Lausanne, Switzerland, franked 20 paras tied by bilingual Pera Depart cds, Stamboul Depart below and fine, albeit upside down framed handstamp ‘TROUVE DANS LA BOITE’; fine condition.
1915 registered cover to Lausanne franked on reverse 2pi. ‘Hamidiye’ tied by Pera date stamp, arrival cds to right. The envelope returned by Hotel with Beau Rivage Palace-Hotel/ OUCHY/Lausanne cachet applied, trilingual green framed ‘Inconnu’ label applied to front tied by Lausanne cds, above straight-line ‘A rendre a l’expediteur’ handstamp and two-line Arabic handstamp; the stamp with one pulled perf.
1919 envelope from Osaka to Zurich, Switzerland franked on reverse with 1914-25 watermarked ‘Tazawa’ 2s., 3s. and 5s. not cancelled though despatch cancels appear front and back, cancelled instead on arrival in Switzerland with (inappropriate ?) two-line TIMBRE AU DOS/ MARKE RUCKSEITIG, Oberrieden arrival on reverse.
1920 incoming wrapper ‘L’Echo Du Daube’ from Hungary to Canton with straight-line ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN handstamp and REBUTS at top, at left good clear handstamp in red Returned Letter Office Canton, faint Canton backstamp. Broken bottom right corner otherwise good example of this handstamp.
1921 incoming plain card with full message to Bangkok with address scored out in blue crayon with arrow to return address and at centre fine framed PARTI/ LEFT BANGKOK.
1923 incoming card Berlin to Shanghai bearing various instructional handstamps and manuscript notes with UNKNOWN AT and Addresse/ Incomplete towards base and just tying stamps ‘Please Advise Sender Your/ Correct Address’.
1927 incoming uprated 2c stationery card from Toledo, Ohio to Shanghai bearing framed Inconnu/ Unknown handstamp, large hand return handstamp of Seattle, Washington, revers with Shanghai machine arrival and red return cds.
1930 incoming cover to Hankow from West Bromwich with framed ADDRESSEE LEFT PRESENT/ADDRESS UNKNOWN and bilingual RETURN TO SENDER, a rice paper sheet has been added which bears the same two handstamps and a red Shanghai cds, Hankow cds on reverse.
1930 incoming cover to Shanghai from Berlin bearing fine instructional handstamp FIRM EXTINCT at centre, framed Fermee/Closed hand stamp to left, reverse with red Shanghai cds and roller cancel; light vertical filing crease.
1932 (Mar 20) United States postal stationery envelope from Pittsburg to Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, forwarded as instructed (in manuscript top left) to North borneo, with large framed Rhodesian instructional handstamp and hand illustrated handstamp and two framed OVER handstamps, reverse with Salisbury cancel of 28 Apr, Bandojermasin transit of 9.6. and Jesselton B.N.B. cds of 22 Jun, red oval DEAD LETTER OFFICE/ SINGAPORE handstamp, two U.S. Dead Letter Office cancels of Aug 16 ad Nov 5.
1936 incoming airmail cover from Ireland, endorsed “Via Hong Kong” to a Poste Restante address at Canton, arrival backstamp, with series of red instructional handstamps UNCLAIMED, framed REBUT and ornate-framed Returned/ Letter Office/ Canton/ China, the second of these overstruck with violet UNDELIVERED FOR REASON STATED/ RETURN TO SENDER, red Canton backstamp; fine and attractive.
1937 incoming registered cover from Shipbourne, Kent bearing mixed Reign franking KGV and KEVIII, red manuscript”Unknown” and framed black handstamps RETOUR and INCONNU/ NOT KNOWN, reverse with two Hong Kong cds and Shipbourne and Tonbridge cancels of outward journey only.
1939 incoming cover from Frinton, England to ‘The Shanghai Butchery Co.’ With arrival backstamps, front bearing violet framed FIRM EXTINCT and two-line framed Returned for Reasons Stated/Return To Sender, various Chinese manuscript marks and violet Shanghai cds on reverse, German censorship has been applied en route back, without any final arrival.
1941 (5 Dec) airmail cover addressed to Hong Kong bearing single franking 9d. ‘Platypus’ tied Melbourne ‘BUY WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES’ machine slogan, censor handstamp at left tying tape, two-line violet NOT TRANSMISSIBLE/ SERVICE SUSPENDED handstamp at centre, reverse with red Dead Letter Office Sydney cds of 26.JA.42 and red ‘hand’ front and back. The Battle of Hong Kong started on 8th December so the mail became undeliverable whilst in transit.
1946 (16.6.) Germany 6pf uprated stationery card with good mixed franking, addressed to Tientsin with address erased in red manuscript and two violet framed bilingual handstamps applied Parti/ Gone Away and Retour/ Returned to, a couple of small tears in margin and vertical filing crease.