Lot 2081

1860 (9 Jan) a very neat cover from France addressed to Toulon, crossed out with Chine written below, franked with a horizontal pair of French Empire 10c yellowish brown, large to ample margins, tied by dotted "3094" petit chiffres with "St. Germain-en-Laye 9 Janv 60" circular datestamp on cover to "a Bord du vaisseau le Duperre en partanie pour lade de Toulon", "Toulon" crossed out with "Chine" written below, and a boxed “AFFRANCHISSEMENT/INSUFFISANT” handstamp, backstamped Paris, Toulon and Marseilles (Jan. 12), “CORPS EXP. CHINE BAU CENTRAL / 12 MAI 60” arrival datesamp, manuscript RATE "4" crossed out and re-rated "8", Very Fine. This cover was intended for a sailor on board a ship in Toulon but it had since left for China, by the time it arrived, the Central Bureau had moved to Shanghai, one of the earliest strikes of the Central Bureau base office while operating from Shanghai, predating the earliest use of Central Bureau listed in Desrousseaux’s guidance of 30 May by about two weeks.

1860.1.9 法國寄Toulon，改寄中國，貼10生丁雙連，銷3094殺日戳。5.12抵法軍中央郵局。收件人本於Toulon之船上，但已去中國。當時法軍中央郵局已移至上海，此為上海中央郵局之最早例子之一，比Desrousseaux之記錄早兩週。