Lot 195

South Africa to Kongmoon, China(廣東江門)-Registered Cover via Mozambique and Hong Kong (1912) 27 November 1912, remarkable registered cover sent from Pretoria, Transvaal/South Africa to Mr. E. Volekmann, c/o Customs House, Kongmoon (now Jiangmen), West River, Kwangtung Province, South China. The envelope bears a rare multi-country postal routing, with evidence of transit via Lourenço Marques (Mozambique) and Hong Kong, before reaching interior China. Envelope Front: franked with three different types of South African colony stamps, including a Natal overprint "HALF" on 1d and a Transvaal 1d definitive. Registered handstamp and "Pretoria" cds dated 27 OCT 12. Destination noted as "Kongmoon West River", with routing through British Hong Kong. Envelope Back: a striking block of 10 x ½d Transvaal green KEVII stamps, tied by multiple Pretoria registration handstamps, and with an important transit "Lourenço Marques Registered/28 NOV 12 (Portuguese Mozambique)"; Hong Kong/13 JA 13 arrival cds., Chinese handstamp “福”(possibly a handling postal officer mark in China). This cover refers to a rare destination to interior South China (Kongmoon, now Jiangmen), a river port not commonly seen on early 20th century covers. More importantly, the unusual routing via Mozambique - Portuguese East Africa, showcasing complex logistics of cross-continental registered mail at the time.

南非普利托里亞寄中國江門(1912年)掛號封,經莫三比克及香港轉遞 極為罕見的掛號郵封,1912年10月27日自南非普利托里亞(Pretoria, Transvaal)寄至中國廣東省西江口岸江門(Kongmoon / Jiangmen),收件人為海關人員E. Volekmann 先生,經由葡屬莫三比克(羅倫索馬貴斯)及香港中轉。 掛號封正面:使用南非殖民地三種郵票混貼:包括一枚納塔爾(Natal)1便士加盖“HALF”郵票與特蘭斯瓦爾(Transvaal)1便士郵票。加蓋掛號戳記與 Pretoria/27 OCT12日戳。收件地標明「Kongmoon = Westriver」顯示其位於中國內河的港口。 掛號封背面:十枚連張的特蘭斯瓦爾愛德華七世綠色半便士郵票,整齊貼於信封底部,由多枚掛號戳蓋銷,視覺效果極佳。中轉與到達戰記包括:葡屬莫三比克/羅倫索馬責斯/28 NOV 12 掛號戳記。香港/1913年1月13日到達戳。紫色 “福”字印章,或為江門地區接收或分發記錄。 郵路涵蓋南非葡屬東非→香港→廣東江門,展現當時國際掛號郵件的複雜路線與轉運網絡。寄往中國華南內陸城市江門,此地為清末民初重要商埠,極少見寄達地。