Auction 333-341 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

Russian P.O. in Alexandretta, Ingoing 1864 (Feb 5): Letter sheet from Constantinople to Aleppo, endorsed "via Alexandrette", bearing two fine and fresh single Russia Imperial Arms 1858 10 kop. brown & blue perf. 12½, tied by "KONSTANTINOPOL 5 FEB. 1864" cds in blue (Tchilinghirian fig. 3), very scarce transit "PORT ALEKSANDRETTA FEB 13" cds in blue (modified Tchilinghirian fig. 198) with exchanged month and day slug and mute year slug alongside. The reverse shows a further Constantinople despatch strike. A very attractive cover showing the Port-to-Port rate to an unusual destination with the inland part of the journey within Syria presumably carried by courrier and paid by the addressee. Cert. Holcombe (1990).
Note: Despatched at the Russian Consular Post Office in Constantinople, where Russian Imperial stamps were used from November 1862 until they were replaced by the 'Ship & Eagle' adhesives of the ROPiT in 1865.
Provenance: Corinphila sale 83 (September 1991), lot 4682; Provera collection, Corinphila sale 271 (June 2021), lot 6652.