Large Crown Shanghae Paid Webb type 1 (update 2006)

This is the first postal marking of the Shanghai British Post Office which was established in 1844. It is known as Shanghai Webb type 1 or Proud PD2 and was made locally. This 32mm circular marking consists of an ornate Crown in the centre surrounded by 3.5mm serif capital letters. Webb records three cover in 1861 and since then many more are known. A survey was conducted in 2002 culminating in a listing of this mark in HKPS June 2002 newsletter.

The preliminary listing was revised with additional information by our members and owners of such covers and was published in HKPS March 2004 newsletter. Since then, several new and old finds have surfaced and we feel that it is time to revise the listing again.

We have now record fifteen covers including the new earliest - 1851 (1), 1852 (1), 1853 (1), 1856 (7), 1857 (3), 1858 (2). Only five destinations are known so far: to the U.K. (5), to France (3), to Australia (3), to U.S.A. (3) and to India (1). In addition, members have pointed out that there are at least four pieces of the Large Crown Shanghae Paid known.

  1. Shanghai (October 1851) to Rochester (21 December) via Southampton. Red London Paid 20 Dec 1851 and Rochester arrival (blue) and backstamped with Hong Kong c.d.s. The cover contains the original contents - a letter from Eliza Mary Hillier, who was the daughter of Dr W H Medhurst one of the first missionaries in the Treaty Port of Shanghai. (SG London sale December 2006 lot 408)
  2. Shanghai (29 June, 1852) to Bombay, part cover only. (Perrin sale, Cavendish 26 June 1982, lot 206)
  3. Shanghai (July 1853) mourning covers to Philadelphia "arrived 15 Oct. 1853" ex. Major Richard Pratt.
  4. Shanghai (April 1856) to London via Marseilles. Webb type 1 struck on the reverse of the cover with HK boxed PAID in front.
  5. Shanghai (August 1856) to West Maitland, Sydney via Singapore with boxed PAID (HK marking). Sydney 11 Dec. 1856 arrival. (Cavendish 25 May 02 Norman Bennett sale, lot 953)
  6. Shanghai via HK (12 Sept. 1856) to Swansea, South Wales (Nov. 3). Combination of Small Crown Hong Kong PAID c.d.s. and Webb type 1 (Beckeman sale, Zurich Asia 2000)
  7. Shanghai (October 1856) "Overland via Marseilles" to Valreas, France. Paris 30 Nov. arrival. Note: Outer sheet only, 1 page missing (Rarities of the World, Boule, Nov. 97, John Bull, HK June 2006 lot 711)
  8. Shanghai (6 Oct. 1856) to Paris via Marseilles (SG John Parker sale 1994)
  9. Shanghai (6 Oct. 1856) to Lyon, France via Marseilles Guerin correspondence. Ex. Percival David and James Riddell. (Robson Lowe 22 March 1974 lot 114 and Lot 1269 Zurich Asia March 2006 HK011 sale)
  10. Shanghai via HK (12 Oct. 1856) to Charleston, South Carolina USA.(Mizuhara/Spink 2003)
  11. Shanghai (20 June 1857) to Sydney via Ceylon showing double oval "Missent to Melbourne Victoria" datestamped HK 20 JU 1857 (Cavendish Richard Chan sale Oct. 2003)
  12. Shanghai (July 1857) to New Haven, Connecticut, via New York (Oct.1857). (Webb's record ex. Rose-Hutchinson and lot 583 Ishikawa sale Dec. 1980)
  13. Shanghai (July 1857) to Sydney via Ceylon, Hong Kong c.d.s 5 August and Sydney arrival 18 Oct. (Webb¡¦s record also lot 584 Ishikawa Dec. 1980 sale and CRL D'Almada sale 1990)
  14. Shanghai (13 April 1858) Ashworth correspondence to "The Oaks, near Bolton-le-Moor", England via Marseilles, HK boxed PAID London 12 June arrival. (Zurich Asia June 2005 HK010 sale lot 911)
  15. Shanghai (24 April 1858) via HK to Birmingham, HK boxed PAID (July 20). (Argyll Etkin sale March 2004)

Acknowledgement: This information was published in Hong Kong Philatelic Society Journal 11 in Feb. 2007 with illustrations. We would like to thank Spink, Sotheby, Cavendish, John Bull Stamps, Argyll Etkin, Stanley Gibbons, Dr. Jeffrey Schnieder of Zurich Asia, Michael Goldsmith-Chairman of the Hong Kong Study Circle, Alfred Chu and those owners who wish to remain anonymous for providing information and illustrations

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