Auction 321 - 332 Australian States & Commonwealth of Australia, St. Helena, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Swaziland, Brazil 1843 –1870 - Day 1

Chalons 1862/67: Thomas Ham 6 d. yellow-green, rough perf., used on 1866 cover to Birmingham, 'Old England', endorsed "via Cape York and Dutch Mail", tied by "QL" obliterator with the endorsement ignored and the cover struck with "VIÂ MARSEILLES" in black. Struck on arrival with circular "MORE TO PAY" in black and charged '4d.' due in manuscript (without a fine). Reverse with Brisbane despatch on reverse (April 5) and London transit cds (June 5). Listed and illustrated in the Ben Palmer Queensland census on page 173 (erroneously under '1865'). A rare and most unusual cover.rnrnProvenance: Prestige, Melbourne, 7 May 2013, lot 147.rn                     Prestige, Melbourne, 5 March 2015, lot 38.rnrnNote: The cover did in fact follow the route of both endorsements: the "Souchays" left Adelaide on April 6, the mail transferred to the French steamer "Capitole" at Batavia (April 27) to Singapore. Transhipped again there to the "Imperatrice" (May 4) to Alexandria, whereafter the "Peluse" carried the cover to Marseilles.