Bombay SD12

1850

One of the “Crown Jewels” of philately and considered by many to be the greatest philatelic item in existence.“The quintessence of philatelic superlativeness” L. N. & M. Williams (1953, 1993)1d. DEEP ORANGE, TWO SINGLES, datelined Port Louis, January 1, 1850, on entire letter addressed to “Thos. Jerrom Esq., Secretary to the Bombay Auxiliary Bible Society, The Esplanade, Bombay”, cancelled by twelve-bar h.s., in circular format and the right stamp additionally by handstruck “2” in circle; showing “MAURITIUS/G.P.O” crowned circle d.s. (Jan. 4, 1850) adjacent. The stamps are of contrasting shades and impressions – the right stamp very sharp and the left a little heavier – indicative of the primitive printing methods of single impression from a copper plate on a hand press. Both stamps are of a brilliant colour and fresh with unusually large margins all round.The cover has a small cut at right below “Society” in the address panel and has also been reinforced at the joins.The entire letter comprises a double letter sheet written by the Reverend Langrishe Banks on 1 January 1850. Surprisingly, the contents of the letter, which concern the acknowledgement of receipt of a box of Scriptures, were not known until the Weill brothers allowed the letter to be opened in 1976.Of optimum quality for what has been universally recognized as one of the “Crown Jewels” of philately.Expertise: Philatelic Foundation certificate (1988) and British Philatelic Association certificates (1989 & 2015).PROVENANCEC. Howard, 1897 (purchased for 5 rupees in an Indian bazaar).W. H. Peckitt, 1898 (£1,600).Vernon Roberts, 1898 (£1,800).W. H. Peckitt, 1905 (£2,000).G. H. Worthington, 1906 (£2,200).A.F. Lichtenstein, 1917 (a portion of the collection was purchased en bloc and the cover, which was included, was reputedly valued at £11,000).Raymond H. Weill Co., sale Dale-Lichtenstein collection, H. R. Harmer, New York, 21 October 1968, lot 1($380,000), World Record Price for a Philatelic item.Private Sale 1990: Dr. Chan Chin CheungPrivate Sale 1996: Guido CraveriPrivate Sale 2007: current ownerEXHIBITEDInternational Philatelic Exhibition, Manchester, June-July, 1899International Philatelic Exhibition, Grand Central Palace, New York, 16-23 October 1926, No. 197.International Philatelic Exhibition IPOSTA, Berlin, 1930The Royal Jubilee Stamp Exhibition, Royal Philatelic Society, London, 6 May 1935, The London Philatelist, Vol. XLIV, No. 521 (May, 1935), p. 98 (illustrated in separate inset). PEXIP (Exposition Philatélique Internationale), Paris, 18-37 June 1937, No. 336.London International Stamp Exhibition, Royal Festival Hall, 9-16 July 1960, Court of Honour, Frame 14 (illustrated on p. 83 of the catalogue).Royal Philatelic Society, London, 2 May 1963. ARPHILA (Exposition Philatélique Internationale), Grand Palais, Paris, 6-16 June 1975 (illustrated on p. 99 of the catalogue).Interphil 76, Seventh U.S.A. International Philatelic Exhibition, Philadelphia, 29 May – 6 June 1976, «Aristocrats of Philately” (illustrated on p. 81 of the catalogue).LITERATUREThe London Philatelist, Vol. VII, No. 82 (October, 1898), p. 269. This is one of the first sources reporting the discovery of the cover and its acquisition by W. H. Peckitt.Georges Brunel, Les Timbres-Poste de l’Ile Maurice. Emissions de 1847 à 1898. Paris, 1928, p. 22.C. H. C. Harmer, «The ‘Thomas Jerrom’ Mauritius Letter», The London Philatelist, Vol. 78 (January, 1969), pp. 11-12. This provides biographical details about the recipient of the letter. Hiroyuki Kanai, Classic Mauritius, the Locally Printed Postage Stamps, 1847-59, London, 1981, p. 30. According to Kanai: “This is the only example of two 1d. on cover in the record and both stamps are in very good condition. The cover is one of the most famous in philately… In the opinion of many… (it) is the most beautiful of the ‘Post Office’ covers now in existence”.“Post Office Mauritius 1d.”, The Philatelist, Vol. 43, No. 3 (December, 1976) pp. 74-75. The transcription of the contents of the letter appears in this article. L.N. Williams, “Mauritius 1847 1d. – The letter Writer and the Recipient”, The Philatelist, Vol. 43, No. 6 (March, 1977), pp. 172-173. L.N. and M. Williams, Stamps of Fame, London, 1953, pp. 30, 42The Williams brothers (p. 30) describe the cover as “the finest existing piece bearing the ‘Post Office’ issue… The letter, rightly, forms the pièce de résistance of the Lichtenstein collection, and is the quintessence of philatelic superlativeness.”Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps Part I (1993) pp. 199-201Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps Part II (1997) pp. 141Die Blaue Mauritius / The Blue Mauritius (2011) pp. 19-221The Rediscovery of the “Post Office” Issue Printing Plate, 2015Having successfully sold the Item 4 (approx. US$ 4 m in 2005) and Item 5 (CHF 6.175.000 in 1993 auction) we are greatly honoured for this opportunity to sell the only other cover in private hands- the ‘Bombay’ cover. Bearing the two finest examples of the Post Office One Penny issue this cover realised the highest price ever for a philatelic item in 1968 (Dale Lichtenstein auction) and can be considered to be on a par with the British Guiana One Cent which was recently sold by Sotheby’s for US$ 9.5 m.

1852

Dispatch Port (Lingah): Written diagonally along the far left margin, the Persian script clearly reads Az Bandar Lingah ("From the Port of Lingah"). In 1852, Lingah was a dominant maritime hub serving as the nerve center for the Gulf dhow fleets and the pearl trade. Date: At the bottom center, the sender has clearly dated the letter beneath the word Sanah (Year) as ۱۲۶۹ (1269 AH). This strictly dates the letter to 1852/1853 AD. Dhow Voyage & Delivery: Carried privately by a trading ship across the Arabian Sea, this letter arrived in India outside the official mail packet system. Addressed to Bombay (written in both English and Persian), it was struck upon arrival with a circular "2" handstamp—an early British India Ship Letter mark indicating 2 Annas of postage due to be collected from the recipient! SENSORY HISTORY (POUNCED SCRIPT & SEALS): Shiny Pounce Calligraphy: In a spectacular tactile detail, the heavy black ink of the Nastaliq script exhibits a distinct "shiny" or crystalline texture. This is original 1852 pounce sand! Before blotting paper, the writer sprinkled fine powder over the wet ink to dry it quickly so the letter could be folded and handed to the ship captain. The writing sand remains permanently trapped in the ink to this day. Merchant Seals (Muhr): To authenticate the letter and secure the flaps during the long sea voyage, the sender applied three strikes of a traditional, square black Islamic merchant seal (Muhr). The intricate calligraphy on the reverse flaps remains wonderfully preserved.

10 May 1853

Postal cover from karatchee (sindh), bearing S1 handstamp in Red. Dated 10 May 1853. Note: Kurrachee Ship Letter — Paid (boxed). Scarce example of postal history from this office.

25 June 1854

Origin & Date: The beautiful cursive script explicitly notes the letter was written in Bandar Muscat (the Port of Muscat) on 29 Ramadan 1270 (which converts to June 25, 1854). 2 Annas Due Mark: Carried privately by ship across the Arabian Sea, it entered the British Indian postal system upon arrival. The front bears a bold black "2" in a circle—the standard Indian Post Office handstamp indicating a 2 Annas incoming ship letter charge was to be collected from the recipient. Arrival & Timeline: The reverse is secured by three red wax seals and features a wonderfully crisp BOMBAY (July 8, 1854) arrival datestamp. The 13-day transit time perfectly maps a mid-summer maritime crossing of the Arabian Sea. MACRO-HISTORICAL CONTEXT (PRE-STAMP GULF MAIL): In 1854, the British Indian Post Office had not yet established its formal network of branch offices in the Persian Gulf (the Muscat P.O. would not open until 1864). Consequently, mail relied on the captains of East India Company vessels or private merchant dhows. This letter physically maps that early, unregulated trade network between the Omani Empire and British India.

1856

Postal cover from bombay (bombay), bearing SD12 handstamp in Black. Dated 1856. Note: Sea rate 2 annas. Scarce example of postal history from this office.

India, Bombay, ca. 1850s, "2" in Circle Handstamp (Giles SD12). Bold strike on back of ca. 1850s native cover to the Persian Gulf, cover with some minor edgewear, Very Fine strike, this postal marking was used to indicate the 2 annas sea rate charge