Auction 333-341 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

Russian P.O. in Beirut, Ingoing 1866 (July 8): Entire letter from Mersina to Beirut, struck on despatch by “PORT MERSINA” cds (Tchilinghirian fig 797), bearing fine and fresh vertical pair 1865 10 pa. brown & blue from pos. 7 & 14, tied upon arrival by rhomboid numeral ‘783’ of Beirut, matching "PORT BEIRUT" cds (June 28) in black (Tchilinghirian fig. 813) on reverse. A spectacular and extremely fine item, one of the most important covers from the Russian Levant with only three covers bearing a pair of this adhesive. Cert. Mikulski (1998).
Note: The discrepancy of dates is attributed to the differences between the Gregorian and Julian calendars.
Provenance: Collection Agathon Fabergé with his handwritten notes on front, Harmer’s sale (Jan 1940), lot 75; stock Edwin Müller; Caspary collection, H. R. Harmer New York, Sale 13 (March 1958), lot 276; Oleg Fabergé collection, Corinphila sale 105 (September 1998), lot 8689; DF sale (May 2004), lot 30281.