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294 - Hong Kong, 1896. Rare postal stationery card from the Britis…

Estimation 100 € - 150 €

Description

Hong Kong, 1896. Rare postal stationery card from the British colony of Hong Kong, sent to Belgium, dated 26 October 1896. Four cents grey imprinted stamp with the effigy of Queen Victoria and bilingual English/Chinese inscriptions (四先). The printed routing instruction "Via Brindisi & London" has been crossed out by the sender in favour of the French mail route: the card bears a fine strike of the French sea post office "LIGNE N / PAQ. FR. N° 8" (October 96), the marking of the Messageries Maritimes Far East mail line via Marseille — a sought-after paquebot marking. Hong Kong departure postmark and Wychmael (Limbourg) arrival postmark of November 1896 (?). Addressed to Mr L. Schutjes-Bijvoet, Hechtel (Wychmael), Belgium. The reverse carries a handwritten message in Dutch, in violet ink, headed "A.M.D.G." (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam) and signed "your affectionate nephew in Christo Jesu, J. Wallet", dated Hong-Kong, 26 Oct. 96 — indications strongly suggesting a missionary, most likely a Jesuit, travelling to the Far East. The writer recounts his arrival in Victoria (Hong Kong) that morning, describes resting in the gardens some 100 metres above a sea "like a mirror", with the possibility of climbing a further 500 metres to the summit of the island, and states that he is departing that same evening at 11 p.m. An evocative combination of Hong Kong postal history, French maritime mail and a contemporary missionary's account of the British colony at the end of the 19th century. Keywords: philately, marcophily, deltiology, postal stationery, Queen Victoria, QV, paquebot, Messageries Maritimes, sea post, maritime mail, missionary correspondence, Jesuit, Victoria Peak, incoming mail Belgium, Far East. The descriptions are based on our interpretation of the postmarks and handwritten inscriptions, which are sometimes difficult to decipher; they are provided in good faith and without guarantee.

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Date 16/07/2026 à 14h00

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SANCHEZ Hugo