Auction 333-341 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

British Post Office in Beirut 1906 (July 3): Registered Envelope from Beirut to New York, bearing 1906 Beyrout Provisional 1 pi. on 2 d. in combination with 2 d. grey green & carmine without surcharge, each tied by oval "REGISTERED / BEYROUT" registration datestamp, oval "R - FEE PAID" handstamp alongside. Reverse with hooded "REISTERED LONDON" transit datestamp in black and oval "NEW YORK N.Y. / REGISTRATION" arrival datestamp in pink. Several UNCLAIMED and "Dead Letter Office" handstamps and labels, the cover was obviously opened and re-sealed, but the sender could not be found and the cover went into the files. Left adhesive slightly creased, the right one stained on perforation, still a desirable usage of this elusive provisional stamp. Cert. B.P.A. (1976) Gi = £ 2'100+ on cover.

Note: Under the authority of the British Vice-consul at Beirut, who was also the Postmaster, two sheets totalling 480 stamps of the 2 d. value overprinted LEVANT (SG L4) were provisionally surcharged ‘ 1 Piastre’. The surcharging was done at The American Press under the supervision of Mr. Fryer, who was an American and a director of The Press, and an Englishman named Glockler who was the manager of the printing department.
Provenance: David Feldman sale (April 2006), lot 30678.