COV-2459
30 June 1834 Nepaul HG 1 Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Santosh MS
Date
30 June 1834
Description
1834 Nepal – Edinburgh mourning entire via Cape route, with Hellrigl type B1 "NIPAUL/POST OFFICE/Post Paid" despatch handstamp, date "30th June 1834" & rate "12 as" (comprising 9A single-letter inland postage to Calcutta & 3A sea outward postage) applied in manuscript. At Calcutta, SR9 "CALCUTTA/GPO/SHIP LETTER/9 JU 9/1834" transit mark applied, sent bearing from India via Cape route, entered through Greenock port in the UK, "GREENOCK/INDIA SHIP LETTER", "GREENOCK/DEC 27/1834" transit mark + **"½"**d Scottish wheel tax handstamp & "1/" (comprising Greenock–Edinburgh 8d single-letter inland postage, as travelled between 50–80 miles, + 4d concessional rate single-letter incoming India–UK sea postage) applied, which was collected from the recipient.
Same office
Other recorded marks at Nepaul
3 marks3 other pre-1854 postal markings of Nepaul are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Nepaul pre stamp cover
COV-2459 is a Nepaul pre stamp cover of 30 June 1834 — a folded letter or entire carried through the post of British India before the first adhesive stamp of 1854, so its postage is shown entirely by hand-struck marks and manuscript rates. It bears the Nepaul HG 1 handstamp, struck in red, and is recorded in the census of Nepaul postal history — the office known today as Kathmandu, in the Bengal Presidency.
1834 Nepal – Edinburgh mourning entire via Cape route, with Hellrigl type B1 "NIPAUL/POST OFFICE/Post Paid" despatch handstamp, date "30th June 1834" & rate "12 as" (comprising 9A single-letter inland postage to Calcutta & 3A sea outward postage) applied in manuscript. At Calcutta, SR9 "CALCUTTA/GPO/SHIP LETTER/9 JU 9/1834" transit mark applied, sent bearing from India via Cape route, entered through Greenock port in the UK, "GREENOCK/INDIA SHIP LETTER", "GREENOCK/DEC 27/1834" transit mark + **"½"**d Scottish wheel tax handstamp & "1/" (comprising Greenock–Edinburgh 8d single-letter inland postage, as travelled between 50–80 miles, + 4d concessional rate single-letter incoming India–UK sea postage) applied, which was collected from the recipient.
1 image of this cover is recorded (front), so the strike can be compared directly against other examples. Each recorded cover of Nepaul HG 1 adds to the evidence base for how the mark was used and how scarce it is — the census counts surviving examples rather than estimating them.
Questions about COV-2459
- What is COV-2459?
- COV-2459 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Nepaul, Bengal Presidency, British India of 30 June 1834, bearing the Nepaul HG 1 handstamp. It is catalogued in an open census of pre-1854 Indian postal history, with 1 image of the cover itself, its date and its provenance. 1834 Nepal – Edinburgh mourning entire via Cape route, with Hellrigl type B1 "NIPAUL/POST OFFICE/Post Paid" despatch handstamp, date "30th June 1834" & rate "12 as" (comprising 9A single-letter inland postage to Calcutta & 3A sea outward postage) applied in manuscript. At Calcutta, SR9 "CALCUTTA/GPO/SHIP LETTER/9 JU 9/1834" transit mark applied, sent bearing from India via Cape route, entered through Greenock port in the UK, "GREENOCK/INDIA SHIP LETTER", "GREENOCK/DEC 27/1834" transit mark + **"½"**d Scottish wheel tax handstamp & "1/" (comprising Greenock–Edinburgh 8d single-letter inland postage, as travelled between 50–80 miles, + 4d concessional rate single-letter incoming India–UK sea postage) applied, which was collected from the recipient.
- What postal marking does this Nepaul cover bear?
- It carries the Nepaul HG 1 handstamp, struck in red, a mark recorded in use 1816–1836. The census grades Nepaul HG 1 as scarce, a rarity derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded rather than estimated. Postage on a cover of this period was shown entirely by hand-struck marks and manuscript rates — India's first adhesive stamp did not appear until 1854.
- When was COV-2459 posted?
- COV-2459 is dated 30 June 1834. Dating a pre-1854 Indian cover rests on its datestamp, any manuscript endorsement, and the recorded period of use of the Nepaul HG 1 handstamp, which is recorded in use 1816–1836.
- How can I tell whether my Nepaul cover matches this one?
- Compare the strike on your cover against the images recorded here — the shape, size and colour of the Nepaul HG 1 handstamp, its position on the cover, and the date. Then check it against the other recorded examples of Nepaul HG 1 and the other marks used at Nepaul. If your cover is not already in the census you can submit it, and it will be reviewed before publication.
About this record
This 30 June 1834 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Nepaul HG 1 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Scarce” in this census — one of 9 surviving covers with this mark recorded.