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
