Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Date
1850
Description
(x) Straits Settlements Early Letters and Handstamps Transit Mail 1850 (23 Feb.) entire letter ex the Huth correspondence from Manila to London, rated "4/1" and showing, on reverse across join, fine framed "singapore / Bearing" d.s. (18.3) and red arrival datestamp (17.4); also 1837 (24 Mar.) entire letter from India showing, on reverse, despatch and Calcutta datestamps in red Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.
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Other recorded marks at Singapore
9 marks9 other pre-1854 postal markings of Singapore are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Singapore FP 1handstampBlack1829–1831
- Singapore FP 2handstampBlack1834
- Singapore FP 3handstampBlack1855
- Singapore FP 5handstampBlack1840–1855
- Singapore FP 6handstampBlack1854
- Singapore FP 7handstampBlack1840–1844
+3 more at this office.View all Singapore marks and postal history →
About this Singapore pre stamp cover
COV-5580 is a Singapore pre stamp cover of 1850 bearing the Singapore FP 4 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Singapore postal history, Straits Settlements. What is a pre stamp cover?
(x) Straits Settlements Early Letters and Handstamps Transit Mail 1850 (23 Feb.) entire letter ex the Huth correspondence from Manila to London, rated "4/1" and showing, on reverse across join, fine framed "singapore / Bearing" d.s. (18.3) and red arrival datestamp (17.4); also 1837 (24 Mar.) entire letter from India showing, on reverse, despatch and Calcutta datestamps in red Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Stamps and Covers of Asia featuring the Peter Cockburn FRPSL Collection of Malaya B.M.A. (Sale 22026) lot 382 (6 December 2022).
1 image of COV-5580 is recorded; the Singapore FP 4 mark itself is recorded in use 1845–1854.
Questions about COV-5580
- What is COV-5580?
- COV-5580 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Singapore, Straits Settlements of 1850, bearing the Singapore FP 4 handstamp in black. (x) Straits Settlements Early Letters and Handstamps Transit Mail 1850 (23 Feb.) entire letter ex the Huth correspondence from Manila to London, rated "4/1" and showing, on reverse across join, fine framed "singapore / Bearing" d.s. (18.3) and red arrival datestamp (17.4); also 1837 (24 Mar.) entire letter from India showing, on reverse, despatch and Calcutta datestamps in red Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.
- How scarce is the Singapore FP 4 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Singapore FP 4 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1845–1854.
- What is the provenance of COV-5580?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Stamps and Covers of Asia featuring the Peter Cockburn FRPSL Collection of Malaya B.M.A. (Sale 22026) lot 382 (6 December 2022).
- When was COV-5580 posted?
- COV-5580 is dated 1850, within the recorded period of use of Singapore FP 4 (1845–1854).
About this record
This 1850 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Singapore FP 4 handstamp of the Straits Settlements, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 36 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, Stamps and Covers of Asia featuring the Peter Cockburn FRPSL Collection of Malaya B.M.A. (Sale 22026), lot 382, (6 December 2022).