Sale 1261 — The Magnolia Collection of U.S. Mail in China and Japan: Part 3
Sale Date — Wednesday, 29 June, 2022
Category — Yokohama


VERY FINE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED COVERS FROM JAPAN WITH 2-CENT BLACK JACK STAMPS PAYING THE PRINTED MATTER RATE.
A review of past auctions and The Philatelic Foundation records located only eight 2c Black Jack covers originating in Japan. Two have the "Hiogo, Japan" double-circle handstamp, and on each the 2c stamp is used with two 10c stamps for the combined 10c steamship rate and 12c treaty rate to England. Two have five 2c stamps paying the 10c rate and the "China and Japan Steam Service" oval (one is offered in lot 745). Four are printed matter rates with one or two 2c Black Jack stamps.


VERY FINE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED COVERS FROM JAPAN WITH 2-CENT BLACK JACK STAMPS PAYING THE PRINTED MATTER RATE.
A review of past auctions and The Philatelic Foundation records located only eight 2c Black Jack covers originating in Japan. Two have the "Hiogo, Japan" double-circle handstamp, and on each the 2c stamp is used with two 10c stamps for the combined 10c steamship rate and 12c treaty rate to England. Two have five 2c stamps paying the 10c rate and the "China and Japan Steam Service" oval (one is offered in lot 745). Four are printed matter rates with one or two 2c Black Jack stamps.
Illustrated in Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book (p. 137).


VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS FROM THE FAR EAST WITH FIVE 2-CENT BLACK JACK STAMPS PAYING THE 10-CENT RATE--THESE TWO ARE THE ONLY RECORDED BLACK JACK COVERS WITH THE "CHINA AND JAPAN STEAM SERVICE" OVAL HANDSTAMP. ONLY EIGHT COVERS ARE KNOWN FROM JAPAN WITH ANY FORM OF BLACK JACK FRANKING. A TRULY SPECTACULAR ARTIFACT OF FAR EAST POSTAL HISTORY INVOLVING THE UNITED STATES MAILS.
A review of past auctions and The Philatelic Foundation records located only eight 2c Black Jack covers originating in Japan. Two have the "Hiogo, Japan" double-circle handstamp, and on each the 2c stamp is used with two 10c stamps for the combined 10c steamship rate and 12c treaty rate to England. Four others are printed matter rates with one or two 2c Black Jack stamps (two are offered in this sale as lots 743 and 744). In addition to the cover offered here, we located only one other from Japan or China with five Black Jack stamps paying the 10c rate (ex Magnolia Part 1, Sale 1248, lot 2081). In fact, these two covers from Japan are the only examples of the Black Jack used by itself to pay the 10c rate on a cover from China or Japan, and they are the only two Black Jack covers with the "China and Japan Steam Service" oval.
Ex Allen (illustrated in the Lane book on page 64), Kohlhepp and Faust.










VERY FINE. AN EARLY AND EXTREMELY RARE USE OF THE 10-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE FROM JAPAN WITH YOKOHAMA CHOP CANCELS AND "CHINA AND JAPAN STEAM SERVICE" OVAL.
The earliest recorded cover with 1869 stamps used in China or Japan is the "Miro" cover with 10c and 30c 1869 pairs, which was carried on the PMSS Japan, departing Yokohama June 30, 1869, and arriving San Francisco July 20 (offered in this sale as lot 755). The next sequential usage of 1869 stamps from Japan is represented by three covers carried on the same August 29, 1869, trip of the Great Republic from Yokohama: 1) 2c cover offered in Magnolia Part 1 (Sale 1248, lot 2083); 2) the cover offered here, with two 10c stamps and the "China and Japan Steam Service" oval; and a single 10c on cover to Rev. Bingham in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with the "China and Japan Steam Service" oval (Laurence 10c 1869 book, p. 286).
Illustrated and discussed in Chronicle 101. Ex Grunin and Coulter. With 1979 P.F. certificate.

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE USAGE FROM THE U.S. CONSULAR POST OFFICE IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN, TO PARIS, FRANCE, SENT VIA SAN FRANCISCO AND OVERLAND TO NEW YORK, THEN BY TRANSATLANTIC FRENCH LINE STEAMER TO HAVRE.
The 14c postage on this front pays the 10c transpacific rate from Japan to the U.S. and the 4c British Open Mail rate to France. Very few examples of this usage are known.
Illustrated in Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book (p. 148). Ex Wiltsee and from our 2005 Rarities of the World sale. Signed Ashbrook and with his handstamp on back.






VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED COVER WITH THE 12-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE USED FROM JAPAN.
In addition to this cover--the sole recorded usage from Japan--there are two 12c 1869 Pictorial covers from China, both offered in this sale (lots 572 and 722).
With 2013 P.F. certificate.


EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED USE OF THE 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE FROM CHINA OR JAPAN, AS WELL AS THE ONLY 30-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL COVER WITH THE "CHINA AND JAPAN STEAM SERVICE" OVAL. THE MOST COLORFUL AND REMARKABLE OF ALL 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE COVERS, IN SUPERB CONDITION.
The 90c postage on this cover--80c in adhesive stamps plus the 10c embossed stamp--overpays the complicated progessive rates from Japan to France via the United States, but the question is, by how much? The U.S.-Japan 10c rate was per half-ounce, while the U.S.-France treaty rate was 15c per quarter-ounce. The weight of the envelope with its letter, which is no longer present, must have been over a half-ounce and probably close to three-quarters of an ounce. In Japan, the sender (or post office) would have calculated the postage at 65c (2 x 10c plus 3 x 15c) if they were confident the New York exchange office would not weigh the letter at three-quarters or more ounces--the consequence of underpaying postage was a total loss, and the cover would be charged full postage due. Rather than risk it, the sender affixed 80c postage, using pairs of the new 10c and 30c 1869 stamps which had arrived in Japan weeks earlier. Why the 10c embossed stamp was not included in the calculation is anyone's guess. Perhaps they were told to put 80c in stamps on the letter, and they followed those instructions to the word.
This extraordinary cover earned its name, the "Miro" cover, from the Parisian stamp dealer, Leon Miro, who offered it nearly 70 years ago, on October 21, 1953. Its importance in worldwide philately was undermined for years by the specter of doubt raised by Stanley B. Ashbrook, who grossly misinterpreted the postage rates between Japan and France via the United States. In 2002, with a simple but compelling analysis of the markings and rates, and using new knowledge about the availability of the 1869 Pictorial stamps in Japan, Steven Walske secured a certificate of genuineness from The Philatelic Foundation. Perhaps it is time to rename this the "Walske" cover.
In so many aspects and on so many levels, the Miro-Walske triple-rate 1869 cover from Japan to France is, in our opinion, the most beautiful and outstanding cover bearing the 1869 Pictorial Issue. We rank its importance and value alongside the 1847 "Rush" cover, the Pony Express Patriotic to Germany, and the 90c 1869 "Ice House" cover.
Illustrated in Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book (p. 141). Ex Steven C. Walske. With 2002 P.F. certificate.














VERY FINE. A PHENOMENAL BANK NOTE ISSUE USE ON A COVER FROM NAGASAKI TO ENGLAND, SENT VIA THE UNITED STATES POST OFFICE IN YOKOHAMA.
The presence of the red "PAID" marking is significant. A reasonable scenario is the sender did not posssess any stamps and paid 16c postage in cash. The "PAID" must have been applied by a forwarder or possibly by a consular/postal agent, and the "16" notation indicated how much was received. The stamps must have come from the Yokohama post office. One other is known with the red "PAID" marking. It bears 25 copies of 2c Red Brown (146) and is used in 1874 from Yokohama to Maine (Magnolia Part 1, Sale 1248, lot 2085). On that cover, the stamps were placed partly over the "PAID" marking.


VERY FINE A REMARKABLE STAMPLESS COVER FROM YOKOHAMA TO FRANCE, SENT WITHOUT STAMPS IN 1874 UNDER THE UNITED STATES AND FRENCH POSTAL CONVENTION PROVIDING FOR A 50-CENTIMES TRANSIT FEE TO THE UNITED STATES.
For a detailed discussion of the 50-centimes transit fee on mail originating outside the United States and addressed to France, see Richard F. Winter, Understanding Transatlantic Mail Part 1 (pp. 422-423). This is an extremely rare example of mail from Japan that received the 50-centimes debit marking.















