COV-4339
8 August 1817 Penang Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Date
8 August 1817
Description
x Early Letters and Handstamps Penang 1817 (8 Aug.) entire letter from Malacca to London, rated "8", showing light but legible strike of the oval "p.o./p.w.i." handstamp in red partly overstruck by "india ship letter/g.p.o./london" double-ring d.s. (8.5.18), both crossed by light horizontal filing crease. Very rare, one of five recorded examples of which four are struck in red. Photo Estimate £ 4,500-5,500
Auction
Provenance
V.T. Nathan Nestor Nunez
Same office
Other recorded marks at Penang
11 marks11 other pre-1854 postal markings of Penang are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Penang FP 2handstampBlack1820–1821
- Penang FP 3handstampBlack1826–1836
- Penang FP 4handstampRed1836–1846
- Penang FP 5handstampBlack1840–1850
- Penang FP 6handstampBlack1849–1855
- Penang FP 7handstampBlack1854–1858
+5 more at this office.View all Penang marks and postal history →
About this Penang pre stamp cover
COV-4339 is a Penang pre stamp cover of 8 August 1817 bearing the Penang FP 1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Penang postal history, Straits Settlements. What is a pre stamp cover?
x Early Letters and Handstamps Penang 1817 (8 Aug.) entire letter from Malacca to London, rated "8", showing light but legible strike of the oval "p.o./p.w.i." handstamp in red partly overstruck by "india ship letter/g.p.o./london" double-ring d.s. (8.5.18), both crossed by light horizontal filing crease. Very rare, one of five recorded examples of which four are struck in red. Photo Estimate £ 4,500-5,500
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink 9023 lot 3 (2009); and Spink 18039 lot 5 (2018).
1 image of COV-4339 is recorded; the Penang FP 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1806–1817.
Questions about COV-4339
- What is COV-4339?
- COV-4339 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Penang, Straits Settlements of 8 August 1817, bearing the Penang FP 1 handstamp in black. x Early Letters and Handstamps Penang 1817 (8 Aug.) entire letter from Malacca to London, rated "8", showing light but legible strike of the oval "p.o./p.w.i." handstamp in red partly overstruck by "india ship letter/g.p.o./london" double-ring d.s. (8.5.18), both crossed by light horizontal filing crease. Very rare, one of five recorded examples of which four are struck in red. Photo Estimate £ 4,500-5,500
- How scarce is the Penang FP 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Penang FP 1 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1806–1817.
- What is the provenance of COV-4339?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink 9023 lot 3 (2009); and Spink 18039 lot 5 (2018).
- When was COV-4339 posted?
- COV-4339 is dated 8 August 1817, within the recorded period of use of Penang FP 1 (1806–1817).
About this record
This 8 August 1817 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Penang FP 1 handstamp of the Straits Settlements, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — one of 4 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, 9023, lot 3, (2009); Spink, 18039, lot 5, (2018).