Auction 333-341 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

British Post Office in Beirut 1874 (Sept 10): Combination cover from Beirut to Marseille bearing Great Britain 1858/69 2 d. blue pl. 14 tied by ‘G06’ obliterator with “BRITISH POST OFFICE / BEYROUT” cds in black alongside (Sept 10) paying single rate to Alexandria. In addition, France Siège 1870 40 c. orange in a vertical pair was added, tied by Gros Chiffres ‘5080’ numeral in black with "ALEXANDRIE / EGYPTE" datestamp in black (Sept 11). Struck alongside with framed “PAQUEBOTS DE LA MÉDITERRANÉE” and PD, both in red. Reverse with MARSEILLE arrival cds (Sept 21). A beautiful combination cover in the finest quality. 

Note: A British postal agency was opened in Beirut on 20 March 1873 and the ‘G06’ obliterator used there. Combination frankings with French or Italian adhesives occur as mail  to France or Italy, respectively went via the British packet to Alexandria and then by either French or Italian packets to Europe. One has to assume that the French adhesives had been added to the letter already in Beirut. In his 2000 census, Alexander Kaczmarczyk noted 32 covers with combination frankings of Great Britain and France between September 1873 and October 1876.
Provenance:  Christies, London (May 1995), lot 2016; collection Dubois, Corinphila sale 267 (June 2021), lot 4260.