Auction 250 - 256 Day 1

1877 (March 17): Great Britain 1876 4 d. vermilion pl. 15, a horizontal pair used on 1877 mourning envelope from Malta to Basil Hall Chamberlain in Yokohama, Japan tied by horizontal "MALTA / A25" duplex (March 17) Carried on the P&O Steamer 'Zambesi' and struck unusually on obverse with circular HONG-KONG / SINGAPORE TO HONG KONG / MARINE SORTER datestamp (Proud D6) in black (April 23). From Hong Kong carried on the 'Malacca' with British P.O. 'Yokohama' arrival cds. Peripheral edge wear to envelope but a rare stamp on cover to a scarce destination.rnNote: Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850-1935) at this date was teaching at the Imperial Naval Academy in Tokyo, he was later a Professor at Tokyo Imperial University, writing some of the earliest translations of haiku into English.rnProvenance: Collection Francisco, Christie's, London, 22 March 1989, lot 2299.rnrn