Lot 1630
1630
cover 1834 (18 Nov.) part entire (filing crease and repaired split) from Russell and Co. in Canton to London "pr Berwickshire" and bears a good strike of the straight-line "CHINA" in red, rated "2/7" with a neat strike of "LYMINGTON/SHIP LRE" in red and London arrival dated 6th April 1835. A very early example of this rare marking. Photo
CHINESE EMPIRE Lord Napier Post
cover 1834 (18 Nov.) part entire (filing crease and repaired split) from Russell and Co. in Canton to London "pr Berwickshire" and bears a good strike of the straight-line "CHINA" in red, rated "2/7" with a neat strike of "LYMINGTON/SHIP LRE" in red and London arrival dated 6th April 1835. A very early example of this rare marking. Photo

Details
cover 1834 (18 Nov.) part entire (filing crease and repaired split) from Russell and Co. in Canton to London "pr Berwickshire" and bears a good strike of the straight-line "CHINA" in red, rated "2/7" with a neat strike of "LYMINGTON/SHIP LRE" in red and London arrival dated 6th April 1835. A very early example of this rare marking. Photo
Further details
The so-called Lord Napier Post allowed letters to be carried free of charge inside China to the nearest port of exit and is thought to have been applied on mails in Canton and Macau. It is now believed that the "CHINA" handstamp was applied on arrival in London, very few examples are known, Webb recorded only five, and these are dated between December 1834 and March 1835.