INAUGURAL AUCTION

5c foreign TOO LATE. 1897. Hankow (20 Sep) to Portland, USA. Cover franked on reverse with Empress Dowager 5ca stamps surcharged to 5c stamps in small setting, tied by Hankow pakua killer, with Hankow dollar dater in front. Transit Shanghai 23 Sep with dollar dater. In combination with 5s Japanese stamp tied by IJPO Shanghai cds (24 Sep). It missed the San Francisco liner, hence the TOO LATE handstamp. Instead, it transited Yokohama (4 Oct), Victoria (19 Oct), Seattle (21 Oct) to arrive Portland (21 Oct). BPA Cert. 2013