Lot 1400

Qing Dynasty. Nepal merchant cover privated carried by Yizhan to Lhasa, showing the name of the addressee and “Postage One Dollar” annotation by ink-brush on reverse. “One Dollar” means one rupee which was much higher than the later official postal service. Carriage of private mails by Yizhan was prohibited but the rule was ignored by the couriers for the sake of profit.

清朝廓爾喀民信，經驛站私遞至拉薩，背面寫有“大木松他收”及“酒資一元”批注。“一元”當為1盧比，郵資遠比後來的郵政服務高。清朝驛卒往往不顧禁令私遞民信。