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SS Coptic anchored possibly in the Port Chalmers area.
By De Maus, David Alexander - Alexander Turnbull Library, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144295423 Public Domain File:SS Coptic.jpg Created: 1881 Uploaded: 20 January 2024
1881
Darrin Lettinga
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March 1897 cover, Japan to St. Paul, MN USA
This arrived in the mail yesterday from a seller in Nebraska. It is interesting to me because of the notation at upper left, "To. San Francisco Cal. Per S/S Coptic." I have a 1 yen, old die, JSCA 157, with an RCD-1 port postmark, Persia Maru. I have also included that image for reference as my cover image for this collection. The Coptic was the original christened name of the Persia Maru when it was built in 1881. In 1897 she was chartered to the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Co. and served between San Francisco, California and the Far East. This cover was postmarked in March of 1897 but later that year, in September, she collided with the Minatogawa Maru in Kobe harbor. The cover has 2 copies of the 5 sen Sino-Japanese War commemorative depicting Prince Arisugawa Taruhito. Despite being very faint, I believe the double postmark strike is Kobe. There is a a letter "E" that is recognizable in the lower of the two strikes underneath the stamp closest to the edge of the cover on the right. On this side of the cover, I wonder what the following means, "c/o Japanese stor?" at lower left. I am unsure if this is a correct reading of this word. I welcome any help. Is this the word, "store"? On the reverse there are additional postmarks of Yokohama on Mar 6, 1897, a receiving postmark in San Francisco on Mar 21, 1897 and finally, Saint Paul, Minnesota on Mar 25, 1897. There is also a red oval marking with YSKW in the lower part of the oval. Does anyone know what this is? My assumption is that it is a business and possibly having to do with the silk trade. Again, any help would be appreciated. A little bit more difficult but perhaps not impossible to determine, is who, T. Naka, Esquire, is and what was he doing in St. Paul in 1897. In modern times, according to Google Maps, there is no longer a building or home with the address of 377 Wabasha in St. Paul.
St. Paul, MN, United States cover US $12.95 eBay
Darrin Lettinga
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A pair of 2 sen kikus on postcard from Imperial Naval College, Etajima to the United Kingdom
A postcard, sent in 1902 to England from 安芸江田島 (Imperial Naval College) Etajima, Japan. It was meant as a Christmas greeting to Mrs. Murial G. Horsfall. I have a bit of work to do on this cover and will update here as I find more information. The city/town name of Barrow-in-Furness in England is known for shipbuilding. According to an article about the city on Wikipedia, "Well-known ships built in Barrow include Mikasa, the Japanese flagship during the 1905 Russo-Japanese War".
England cover US $9.50
Darrin Lettinga
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Combination franking with 2 sen, postcard from Yokohama, Japan to Sailor on Austrian Navy ship, SMS Radetzky
Here is one I purchased that came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and since then I have been doing my research with a little help from others on another stamp forum I belong to. The sender is Czech and the short message is in Czech. Two knowledgeable and reliable sources tell me the postcard was sent to a sailor on the Austrian navy ship, SMS Radetzky. Apparently he was no longer on that ship when it was received and was forwarded to the SMS Kaiser Karl VI at the Pola naval base. "The addressee is named as "imperial and royal [k.k.]] sailor [Matrose] on HMS Radetzky" (changed to HMS Emperor [K.] Karl IV)". The short text on the reverse is written in Czech. The first - legible - words read: "Why don't you write about...". (I cannot identify the rest of the handwriting)." Austria-Hungary had a navy from the late 1700s until they surrendered in 1918 when the empire was collapsing during WWI. Both of the ships above would be scrapped by 1920. The combination franking including a 2 sen, 1 1/2 sen and 1/2 sen with partial imprint have nice Yokohama cancels dated June 6, 1917. Something else that makes this cover appealing to me is the little bit of dragonfly wing that shows up under 1 1/2 sen stamp. I may not have mentioned here but I have another topical collection other than Expo '70 and that is dragonflies on stamps. If I remember correctly these postcards with the dragonfly imprint have a specific name that I have seen mentioned at some point in the past. I welcome any corrections or additional input regarding what I have said above or in reference to this cover.
Pola, Croatia cover US $6.99
Darrin Lettinga
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Uprated postcard from Arima, Japan (有馬) to Zurich, Switzerland, Meiji 45, May 22
This is a postcard from Arima, Japan (有馬) comb cancel, Meiji 45, May 22, to Switzerland with an additional Kobe comb cancel, May.1912. The Zurich receiving postmark is dated June 22, 1912. The postcard is a 1 1/2 sen frameless postcard, JSCA PC20, uprated with 1 sen and a 1 1/2 sen kikus to meet the 4 sen international rate. I was able to receive some help regarding the message side of the card which in written in Swiss German as follows (note that the translator left some question marks in regard to specific words in the message): "Zwei Stunden nur per Eisenbahn kommt man an einen (See) heran Lake (Biwe) heißt er, ? ? sich mit dem Bodensee zum messen? weil kein Dampfer hin & her die fahren nur die kreuz und quer Beim (Winzerheim) in Kawasaki probiert zu trinken erst den Saki ein Likör der wird aus Reis gebrannt und sehr beliebt im ganzen Land ? stehn drei Stunden später (sehr) ist über vier Kilometer Per Schiff durch einen ?kanal die Fahrt war interessant und schnell ? ? der sein ? nur den Japanern ? ?" A google translation of the above text came out as follows: "It takes two hours by train to get to a lake. It's called Lake (Biwe) and it can compete with Lake Constance because there are no steamers going back and forth, they just go criss-cross. At the winemaker's home in Kawasaki you first try drinking the Saki, a liqueur that is made from rice and is very popular all over the country. Three hours later you're over four kilometers away by boat through a canal. The trip was interesting and fast and is only known to the Japanese."
Japan Switzerland Cover
Darrin Lettinga
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2 sen Japan, Offices in China, Shanghai Roman letter, comb cancel
2 sen Japan, Offices in China, Shanghai Roman letter, comb cancel, dated August 7, 1910.
definitive stamp US $7.99 eBay
Darrin Lettinga
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1907 Cover from Kobe, Japan to Marietta, Ohio, USA
Media - 1 1/2 sen Chrysanthemum Postal Card, frameless card, JSCA PC20 Postal markings - September 16, 1907 Comb-type postmark, Kobe, Japan. Rubber, small figure, comb-type postmark - October 5, 1907,American Postal Machine Company, American Flag wavy killer postmark, San Francisco, California, USA - October 10, 1907, International Postal Supply Company, Wavy Killer machine cancel, Marietta, Ohio, USA Addressee - Prof. M.R.Andrews, Marietta,Ohio - Handwritten kanji,米國行,to USA
Cover eBay 2024
Darrin Lettinga
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2 sen Postal Savings Card issued in 1903
I was excited that this arrived in the mail 2 days ago. This will be a very nice addition to my 2 sen exhibit in the fall at our local stamp show. The UK auction house I purchased it from labeled it as, "1899 Postal Savings Card For use with 2 sen green" which is incorrect. The JSCA catalogues the card as having been issued in 1903 and is number PS29.
Postal Savings eBay January 2024
Darrin Lettinga
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2 sen domestic usage
1913 domestic cover from Miyagi to 京城 Seoul, Korea. October 10, 1913
cover eBay February 5, 2024
Darrin Lettinga
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(2) 2 sen stamps on postal card, 4 sen international rate to Newark, NJ, United States
(2) 2 sen #stamps on postal #card, 4 sen international rate to Newark, NJ, United States, Ms. Henrietta Geyer. #Postmarks: Roman letter comb cancel Tokio/Japan, August 8, 1912 and domestic cancel August 8, Taisho year 1.
cover eBay 2023
Darrin Lettinga
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2 sen Kiku, international printed matter usage
International #cover, transit through Vancouver (Canada or US?) with #Yokohama roman letter comb #cancel, 1926.?.6. #Letter mailed by the Vivanti Bros. based in #Yokohama, Japan. Sent to The American Silk Journal, New York City. 2 sen, international printed matter usage.
cover eBay 2023
Darrin Lettinga
