Ava Auctions 16th Auction - Summer 2026 sale

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China Pre-philately

Lot 42

1,000 HKD

Live

Kuang Hsu Year 29 (1903) Ministry of War internal memo regarding dispatch of mail to Viceroy of Szechuan, regarding submission to the

Kuang Hsu Year 29 (1903) Ministry of War internal memo regarding dispatch of mail to Viceroy of Szechuan, regarding submission to the emperor of ethnic officials kacking efforts in suppressing bandits. The ethnic officials in Szechuan were Tibetans and Lolos

Lot 43

2,500 HKD

Live

Tongzhi Year 1 (1862) Diplomatic mail cover from the Magistrate of Chuanchow to US Consulate Amoy

Lot 44

2,000 HKD

Live

Hsuan Tung Year 3 (1911) Official cover from Viceroy of Kiangnan-Kiangsi to the Finance Ministry, Peking

China Pre-philately

China

Lot 45

2,500 HKD

Live

Guangxu / Kuang Hsu Year (23) official cover from Shansi Frontier land Reclamation Commissioner from Baotow to the Governor of Shansi,

Guangxu / Kuang Hsu Year (23) official cover from Shansi Frontier land Reclamation Commissioner from Baotow to the Governor of Shansi, Taiyuan. The commissioner was responsible for recruiting poverty-ridden Chinese farmer's to open up Mongolian

China Pre-philately

China

Lot 46

2,500 HKD

Live

Guangxu / Kuang Hsu Year 24 (1899) Cover from the bishop of Shanghai to the Magistrate of Shanghai, applied with red seal

China

Lot 58

3,200 HKD

Live

1884 Chinkiang (Jun) to France. Cover front, bearing oval “CHINKIANG CUSTOMS / MAIL MATTER” cachet. F.w. French Peace and Commerce

1884 Chinkiang (Jun) to France. Cover front, bearing oval “CHINKIANG CUSTOMS / MAIL MATTER” cachet. F.w. French Peace and Commerce issue 25c, tied by Shanghai French PO (13 Jun) cds. Arrived France (27 Jul). Nice cancellation

China Imperial Post Postal stationery

China Imperial Post Picture postcards

China

China Imperial Post Postal stationery

China Imperial Post Picture postcards

China Imperial Post Postal stationery

Lot 144

800 HKD

Live

1901 Peking to Austria. Picture postcard, f.w. Coiling Dragon 1/2c x2 + 1c + 2c, tied by Peking PO oval d.s. Transit Shanghai Chinese PO.

1901 Peking to Austria. Picture postcard, f.w. Coiling Dragon 1/2c x2 + 1c + 2c, tied by Peking PO oval d.s. Transit Shanghai Chinese PO. In combination with French ovpt. Chine 10c, tied by Shanghai French PO cds. Arrived Prague (25 Sep)

China Imperial Post Picture postcards

Lot 155

600 HKD

Live

1900s a group of 4 outgoing view PPCs, f.w. Coiling Dragon issues, sending from Peking, Canton and German Tsingtau

China

China Imperial Post

China

Lot 176

2,000 HKD

Live

1900s a group of 5 incoming postcards from Europe, New Zealand, Celyon to China, showcasing various franking and cancellation. Example from

China Imperial Post

Lot 177

800 HKD

Live

1897. Mexico (20 May) to Shanghai Customs, f.w. Mexican 10c. Transit Texas (May), San Francisco (May), USPA Shanghai (23 Jun). Arrived

1897. Mexico (20 May) to Shanghai Customs, f.w. Mexican 10c. Transit Texas (May), San Francisco (May), USPA Shanghai (23 Jun). Arrived Shanghai Chinese PO (23 Jun) with dollar cds. Very scarce origin

Lot 178

800 HKD

Live

1897 USA (14 Jun) to Tientsin, f.w. US 5c, tied by Mount Vernon cds. Transit San Francisco (20 Jun), USPA Shanghai (23 Jul), transferred to

1897 USA (14 Jun) to Tientsin, f.w. US 5c, tied by Mount Vernon cds. Transit San Francisco (20 Jun), USPA Shanghai (23 Jul), transferred to Shanghai Chinese PO (23 Jul). Arrived Tientsin (27 Jul) with dollar cds

Lot 179

2,000 HKD

Live

1897 (15 Oct) German Eagle 10pf PSC to Adolphus Diercking, Customs Chungking, redirected to Shanghai, tied by Bromberg cds. Transit Hong

China

Lot 181

1,000 HKD

Live

Hungary to Imperial Chinese Customs-1882 Cover to E. Farago in Peking One of the Earliest Recorded Hungarian Customs Covers to China

Hungary to Imperial Chinese Customs-1882 Cover to E. Farago in Peking One of the Earliest Recorded Hungarian Customs Covers to China January 1882, Hungary, envelope franked with two 10 krajczár blue stamps (Magyar Kir. Posta issue), each tied by a clear "BAJA/82" circular datestamp. Addressed to E. Farago Esq., Inspectorate General of Customs, Peking, China. Reverse with a well-preserved sequence of transit and arrival markings: TRIEST c.d.s. (20.1.82); NAPOLI PORTO c.d.s. (22.1.82); HONG KONG INDEX B transit (FE 27/82); CUSTOMS SHANGHAI arrival c.d.s. (MAR 4/82); Docketed frontside: "Recd. 10th March, 1882". E. Farago Esq., the addressee, was a senior official in the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service, and is referenced multiple times in Sir Robert Hart's memoir "The I.G. in Peking". This cover was sent during Hart's tenure as Inspector General. Hungarian correspondence to China during the 19th century is exceedingly rare. This example stands out as one of the earliest known covers addressed to the Chinese Imperial Customs headquarters in Peking, and offers invaluable insights into early international postal routes via Trieste, Naples, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. A truly noteworthy item of early Sino-Hungarian Customs postal history

Lot 182

500 HKD

Live

Brăila, ROMANIA to Shanghai Chine 4 January 1884, a cover sent from Brăila to Shanghai, Chine, affixed a pair of 25-Bani stamps in light

Brăila, ROMANIA to Shanghai Chine 4 January 1884, a cover sent from Brăila to Shanghai, Chine, affixed a pair of 25-Bani stamps in light blue, cancelled by double-ringed c.d.s. "BRAILA / 4 JAN / 84", adjacent further cancelled with a boxed registration mark "RECOMMANDĂT" from Romania. On the front side, further showed two manuscript mark of "121" and "715", believed to be the postal registration numbers. No arrival c.d.s. but so surely mailed with these registration markings. A rare origin in Europe at that time

Lot 183

500 HKD

Live

CONSTANTNPLE 君士坦丁堡, Turkey to British Legation, Peking, China March and August 1894, two covers sent from CONSTANTINOPLE, Turkey

CONSTANTNPLE 君士坦丁堡, Turkey to British Legation, Peking, China March and August 1894, two covers sent from CONSTANTINOPLE, Turkey to N.R. O'Conor, British Legation, Peking, China. (1) The first cover affixed with a pair of 2% d overprinted 40 PARAS QV stamps, cancelled by despatch c.d.s. "BRITISH POST OFFICE - CONSTANTINOPLE/A/MR 19/1894". On its reverse side, cancelled by a slew of transit and arrival c.d.s. including Alexandriea c.d.s. dated 25.III.94, Egypt transit c.d.s. "SUEZ 26 III 94", marine sorter c.d.s. "SINGAPORE TO HONG-KONG/AP 16". There is another CONSTANTINOPLE c.d.s. on the reverse side, but this one is in Index Code "B" instead of Code "A" which was used to cancel the two stamps. Code Index "B" here refers to the date despatched out to Peking China. (2) The second cover is affixed with one single 2% d overprinted 40 PARAS QV stamp, cancelled by despatch c.d.s. "BRITISH POST OFFICE-CONSTANTINOPLE/A/AU 11/1894". On its reverse side, cancelled by three transit and arrival c.d.s. including Alexandria c.d.s. dated 2.VIII.94, Egypt transit c.d.s., marine sorter c.d.s. "SINGAPORE TO HONG-KONG/A SP 8". O'Conor received his first ministerial appointment was in Peking 1885 as the Secretary, and later Chargé d'affaires until mid-1886, at the British Legation in Peking, China

Lot 184

300 HKD

Live

FIRENZE, ITALY to Shanghai China in use of combination stamps 2 November 1900, a picture post card sent from FIRENZE, Italy to Nanyang

FIRENZE, ITALY to Shanghai China in use of combination stamps 2 November 1900, a picture post card sent from FIRENZE, Italy to Nanyang College in Shanghai China, affixed with 10-cents Italian adhesive in red cancelled by boxed circle d.s. FIRENZE dated 2 11 00". Adjacent to the Italian stamp, affixed a Chinese C.I.P. 1c cancelled by a pakua in Shanghai, together with other cancellations of "SHANGHAI LOCAL POST F / DE 8/00", another FIRENZE boxed date stamp, and HK transit c.d.s. dated 3 December 1900

Lot 185

300 HKD

Live

England to Newchwang, China 23 February 1901, a picture postcard addressed to I.M. Customs, Newchwang, China, franked with one-penny

England to Newchwang, China 23 February 1901, a picture postcard addressed to I.M. Customs, Newchwang, China, franked with one-penny postage stamp, cancelled by barred numeral "28B", plus "STREATHAM S.W. / FE 23/01" c.d.s. in England, further cancelled by the arrival China bilingual c.d.s. "NEWCHWANG 9 APR / 01". On the reverse side, Shanghai B.P.O entry c.d.s. "SHANGHAI B.Ρ.Ο. / ΑΡ 3 / 01"

Lot 186

1,000 HKD

Live

French Post Office in Constantinople (Levant) to Tsingtau, China Registered Mail via Suez and Hong Kong 30 May 1904, registered cover sent

French Post Office in Constantinople (Levant) to Tsingtau, China Registered Mail via Suez and Hong Kong 30 May 1904, registered cover sent from the French Post Office in Constantinople (Levant). addressed to Monsieur Bühler, Tsingtau (Kiautschou), China. Franked with a French Levant overprinted stamp, 50c brown with "2 PIASTRES" surcharge, cancelled by the French P.D. in "CONSTANTINOPLE R. DE PERA" double-circle datestamp (30 MAI 04), and boxed "R" registration handstamp at upper left. The front is further endorsed "Recommande" in manuscript with "R" handstamp, indicating registered service. This is a rare origin from Ottoman Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) using French Levant postal issues. Reverse side bears an exceptional array of transit and arrival markings: SUEZ, Egypt (7 VI 04); ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (7 VI 04); HONG KONG Registered/JU 30/04; TSINGTAU/KIAUTSCHOU/8.7.04 arrival (German P.O.); Chinese lunar c.d.s. in KiangSu 「江蘇上海甲辰五月廿一日」;Sender's cachet on reverse: A. Mouradyan, 14 Rue Lalé, Péra, Constantinople (Turquie). This item is a fine and scarce example of French Levant mail from Constantinople, routed via the Suez Canal and British Hong Kong, destined for the German-leased territory of Kiautschou (Tsingtau), combining rare origin, complex routing, and multinational postal systems. Particularly notable as early registered mail linking the Ottoman Empire to German colonial in China