Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
3 July 1836
Description
Nepal, 1836 "Nipaul Post Office, Post Paid" Handstamp to Calcutta. Clear strike of boxed handstamp with manuscript "Rs. 1 2as" and dated "3rd July 1836" on back of folded letter written and signed by Brian H. Hodgson and addressed to James Prinsep in Calcutta, part strike of Calcutta arrival backstamp, cover missing small piece of bottom flap, Very Fine strike of this rare marking--the first British postal marking in Nepal--of which fewer than ten examples are thought to exist; the sender, Brian H. Hodgson (1800-94), was an early naturalist who lived in Nepal for ten years, serving as postmaster in Kathmandu (1824-25); the recipient, James Prinsep (1799-1840), was an English scholar and orientalist who is credited with deciphering the Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts of ancient India
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History & Stamps Used Abroad, Part 1, Lot 227, (05/11/2023)
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 record
This 3 July 1836 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. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History & Stamps Used Abroad, Part 1, lot 227, (05/11/2023).