2 April 1896, a Ceylon 5 cents QV postal stationery envelope,
uprated with 2c green and 6c orange adhesives, all cancelled by
barred
2 April 1896, a Ceylon 5 cents QV postal stationery envelope,
uprated with 2c green and 6c orange adhesives, all cancelled by
barred obliterators with COLOMBO/AP 2/96 c.d.s. Addressed to C.S.
Tanank Esq., Imperial Maritime Customs, Shanghai, an officer in the
Qing-era Inspectorate General under Sir Robert Hart. Reverse bears
full transit and arrival markings:
MARINE SORTER/INDEX B/SINGAPORE TO HONG KONG c.d.s. (sea-mail
sorting mark)
CUSTOMS SHANGHAI / APR 22 96 arrival c.d.s.
-I.G. OF CUSTOMS/PEKING / APL 28 96 in blue.
A rare commercial postal link from Ceylon to Qing China, showing
official mail processed through marine sorter RMS route, with dual
customs backstamps-Shanghai and Peking. Scarce and historically
significant usage of Ceylon stationery on China-bound official
mail.
錫蘭5分郵政信封寄清代中國海關-1896年經海上分揀船寄上海。2.4.1896
難得一見之郵品,使用錫蘭維多利亞女王像5分郵政信封,加貼2分綠色及6分橙色郵票補足郵資,全部蓋銷COLOMBO/AP2/96
圓戳與條紋抹銷戳。信件寄往中國上海海關,C. S. Tanank
閣下,其時為清朝海關總稅務司署官員,屬赫德爵士主理之海關體系。
背面銷有完整過站與到達郵戳:
- 新加坡至香港/MARINE SORTER INDEX B 海運郵袋分揀戳
- 上海海關/ CUSTOMS SHANGHAI / APR 2296 到達戳
- 總稅務司署/I.G. OF CUSTOMS/PEKING/APL 2896 藍色戳記
此件為錫蘭至清代中國海關官信郵件之罕見例證,展現經 RMS
海運郵袋分揀路線及同時蓋有上海與北京兩地海關戳記之官方郵件,具歷史與郵政研究價值。
