Los 3241

1898, British forces in Crete, from Monofatsi to London W C England, carried via Austrian post office at Candia, franked with 1 piaster Austrian Levant issue overprinted in violet, tied by MONOFATSI 9 12 98, additionally struck with large blue circular cachet OFFICIAL OCCUPATION MONOFATSI GOVERNOR and boxed FLAG MONOFATSI 1 PIASTRE, arrival backstamp LONDON W C DE 21 98, enclosed letter handwritten by I Griffith British Military Governor of Monofatsi states that only 24 examples of this provisional marking were prepared before the issuance of the new Cretan stamps, the letter accompanied one of the very first specimens of the Cretan issue and notes that it shows a new design with different value, outstanding historical artifact documenting the transitional postal administration under British control and the introduction of Cretan stamps, scarce cancel only in use between December 1898 and July 1899, extremely rare postal history item with intact contents, ex Kugel, XF! Estimate 2.800€.