1 December 1840 Waghorn Sidebottom 10 Cover

1 December 1840

EGYPT, 1840, "To the care of/MR. WAGHORN" (Sidebottom 10; Smith 10). Clear strike of two-line boxed handstamp on top flap of 1840 folded letter datelined Bombay Dec. 1 and addressed to Paris, France, sender's directive "per Cleopatra via Suez, care of Mr. Waghorn," red boxed "Paquebots de la Mediterranee" and light "Purifie au Lazaret, Malte" handstamps, Alexandria Dec. 24 transit and lightly struck Paris Jan. 8 (1841) arrival datestamps, rated "20" due VERY FINE. A CLEAR STRIKE OF THE SCARCE WAGHORN TYPE 10 HANDSTAMP—SMITH RECORDS ONLY 21 EXAMPLES. Smith records 21 examples of this handstamp, dated between Sep. 30, 1836, and Jan. 1, 1842. The Cleopatra was a paddle steam frigate of the East India Company that first arrived in Bombay in April 1840. It was used as a transport for mail between Bombay, Karachi, Aden, and Suez. It ultimately sunk during a cyclone in 1847 in the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 300 passengers. Ex Smith.

"Magnolia" Peter Smith