Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
29 December 1836
Description
India, Nepal, 1836 "Nipaul Post Office, Post Paid" Handstamp to Calcutta. Clear strike of boxed handstamp with manuscript "29th December 1836" date and "9as" on back of folded letter written and signed by Brian H. Hodgson and addressed to James Princep in Calcutta, red "AM" handstamp and Calcutta Jan. 6 arrival backstamps, Fine and rare marking — the first British postal marking in Nepal --of which fewer than ten examples are thought to exist, this is the thought to be the latest recorded strike of this marking; 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, with 2016 B.P.A. certificate Certificate 2016 B.P.A. View Cert
Auction
Sale 9020, Lot 10152, — The Magnolia Collection Part 5
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 29 December 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, Sale 9020, lot 10152.