Auction #19 - Worldwide & Asia

BRITISH COLUMBIA - Great Britain, 1861, letter via San Francisco, franked with perforated 2½d rose (Sc 2), prepaying the British Columbia internal fees, plus the postage to San Francisco. Stamp tied by barred oval "3" cancel of Hope, BC and front shows SAN FRANCISCO datestamp. Letter carried by US steamships to New York, via the Panama route, then by HAPAG steamship to England. Treated as totally unpaid from the West Coast under the current US-British Convention, and initially rated for a collection of 1sh2½d. upon inspection, re-rated as double weight and charged 2sh5d on delivery. Reverse shows red LONDON transit and PENRITH arrival datestamp. Rare franking on a most unusual transatlantic cover. SG 3.
Est. 1 000 - 2 000 CHF