1888 Japan To US

The stamps are minimal value but I know there are folks who are very interested in the bota cancels. This went from Yokohama to Philadelphia via San Francisco, in a bit over three weeks. I have no idea how to set values on things like this, so would love some pointers.

I would have no clue as to value but it is excellent condition for having traveled that far 120 years ago. Lovely cover.

What exactly is a bota cancel?

I agree, very lovely cover.

Are you looking for a value just for your own knowledge, or to help you set a price for it for sale?

I ask because, although I know a little bit about Japanese philately, I've never developed a good feel for how to price covers. However, if you're planning to put it up for auction at ebay, with a good description with the right keywords, I think you'll get the market price. There are a number of eyeballs looking at that material, and these days, with the yen being very strong to the dollar, almost anything in US$ is a bargain.

-- Dave

Forgot to mention that that is the bota cancel for Yokohama, although applied upside down.

Dave, I think it will end up going to auction in the near future, but I still haven't decided what to do with my Japan material. This is the only cover I have from that area and I've never known how to price covers since I don't really collect them. I usually can get a feel for worth based on completed auctions, but there are very few similar samples out there at the moment.

Smauggie, the bota cancel is a cork (I think) obliterator. Like you see on this cover, it was applied to cancel the stamps, but is accompanied by circular date stamp that says where and when posted. The fun thing about botas is there are about 60 different types, where each type is a unique design carved out a little differently to identify the post office. A lot of them, like this one, have a Roman letter (in this case, "Y" for Yokohama)in the design, but some used a Japanese character instead. The Yokohama one is pretty common because Japan's international trading district was centered there.

MBriggy, I feel pretty confident you'd get the correct price for it if you list on ebay, and mention the Yokohama bota. You could also use the terms "U koban" and "UPU koban" in the description, which are the terms used in the Japanese catalogues. I wouldn't feel comfortable listing it at auction on any of the other online sites, as it just won't get the looks that it needs.

Smauggie (and others, if interested), here's a link to part of an online display of botas. (The one on MBriggy's cover is a large bota, so that's the section I linked to.) Scroll down to the bottom of that page to get to the author's homepage.

http://www.geocities.com/horst_muel...o/lbA1-6.htm

I've been selling cover for over 10 years now on ebay and it's still hard to ascertain a value. It's one reason why I believe that as long as you have a good photo and well detailed description, you don't have to worry about starting value as the market will decide.

A few years back I had a cover listed on ebay that was also from Yokohama, from the same time period, sent to San Francisco with similar postmarks, but with a different Japanese stamp that cataloged around $20 off cover. I started it at 99 cents and it sold for over $400 to a buyer in Estonia. Go figure.

Thanks Philatarium, that was very helfpul.

You bet, Smauggie! Glad if that might have been a little helpful.

Battlestamps, I agree with you. Thanks for sharing your experience.

That's the site that I had found when I first started looking at my Japan stamps after I found some auctions that were going for much higher prices than others. I've sold hundreds of things on ebay over the years, though only recently stamps. Good photos are a must! I need to prepare a few other items to list this weekend, so I think I'll add this one to the mix as well. All the advice has been very helpful and I thank all who have contributed!

An update of sorts: I listed this on ebay over the weekend. So far, it has racked up 4 bids with 4 days to go, and looks like its proceeds will pay for one of the catalogs I want to purchase. So, once again, my thanks to all who helped me get a handle on this cover!

-Mary

That's great news, Mary!

I just tried to email you, asking you for a link to the auction, so I could watch it, but apparently I'm still persona non grata on this board, with under 50 posts. I don't know how this system works -- perhaps you can email it to me through the system? (I could offer to post my email on here, but I'm afraid I'd be banished for life!)

And, just thinking out loud, if you are not able to email me, let me know, and I'll ask a friend of mine who's established on here to communicate on my behalf. Thanks!

-- Dave