(Cape of Good Hope) 1880 (OC 31) franked mourning cover to San Francisco franked ‘3’ on 3d pale dull rose and 1871-76 1d. horizontal strip of five folded over to back, one stamp split on opening and tied by cancels that have been deliberately obliterated, Swellendam cds on reverse, Capetown cds on front, London transit backstamp, arrival cancels of Dec 14 front and back. Some faults to envelope, an interesting item.
(French Post Offices) 1879 (3 OCT) mourning envelope to France, endorsed “per English mail” bearing mixed issue franking Ceres 15c. pair and Sage 5c. tied by ‘5104’ large numeral lozenge with Shang-Hai Chine cds, unclear red French maritime datestamp, reverse with Marseille A Lyon tpo and arrival cds. Most of backflap missing and slight ageing but still a good example of a more unusual franking.
(Papal States) 1866 ladies mourning envelope to Gourock, Scotland bearing three colour imperf franking, reverse with Edinburgh tarnsit and arrival cds.
(Papal States) 1868 mourning envelope addressed to a “Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur/ Mayor of Chinon”, franked imperf 40c. and perforated 10c.; fine and attractive.
(Treaty Ports) 1917 incoming mourning cover to HongKong Shanghai Bank branch at Foochow, China, underfranked 1d. KGV from North Finchley with hexagonal framed T/30 handstamp, no charge apparently being collected, reverse with very clear Shanghai Br. P.O transit and on front British Post Office Foochow arrival.
(Village Postmark) Small 1910s local mourning envelope franked on reverse ½d. tied Melleha cds.
1851 (14 Mai) mourning cover to England franked horizontal pair of 1849-50 40c. with close to good margins all round cancelled by two grille handstamps and British Paid cds, Boulogne S Mer cds at left, arrival backstamp; some very slight toning but still a fine and attractive first issues cover.
1868 (17/12) mourning cover to Paris franked 1866-67 imperf ‘curved label’ 80r., four good to large margins, tied fine ‘1’ numeral with Lisboa cds in association, additionally tied by French entry cds, framed P.D. at centre, arrival backstamp; fine and attractive.
1878 (7 Janv) mourning envelope to Scheibenhardt, Alsace, Germany bearing three-colour franking 1872-73 General Colony ‘Ceres’ 5c., 10c. and 25c., the latter with small corner fault, otherwise close to large margins, tied by SNG lozenges, St. Louis cds in association, red French maritime cds, endorsed on reverse “Correspondence des armees” and signed. Despite this the cover was prepaid the full 40c. rate as Alsace was now part of Germany and the military rate did not apply. Ex Sacher
1879 mourning envelope to London franked 2a and pair 4a tied 'N-7' numeral duplexes, registration handstamp on reverse with manuscript details, arrival on front; some slight faults to envelope otherwise an attractive item.
1891 (10 Nov) mourning cover to Bruxelles bearing single franking franked France Sage 25c. tied by Tripoli Syrie, reverse with Marseille transit and arrival cds.
1897 (NO 17) mourning cover to Berlin franked 1889-96 5c. and 20c. tied fine index c 'A26' duplex, arrival backstamp; good clean condition
1903 registered mourning envelope to Chicago franked 1912 50c. brown tied by Fernando Poo cds in blue, registration handstamp at top, arrival backstamps.
1906 underfranked incoming mourning cover from Cotrone, Calabria bearing 15. on 20c. with square circle despatch cancels, black handstamped ‘T’ and unframed ‘2d’ charge, Valetta backstamp.
Victoria: 1857 internal mourning cover bearing mixed franking of ‘Half Length’ 3d (two touched margins) and 1856 1d yellow-green ‘Queen on Throne’ (two touched margins). Envelope written across on reverse, despite these issues still an attractive item.