Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
11 January 1831
Description
Faint but legible strike in red with manuscript "11th Jany 1831" date on back of folded letter to the Dewan of Cochin, Emaculam, endorsed Service. Fine, thought to be the only recorded example, unknown until the 2000 Supplement by Giles.
Auction
Sale 9054, Lot 10003, (May 2026), — Magnolia Collection Part 7
Provenance
"Magnolia"
- •2026, Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 9054, Lot 10003, Realized $1,500— The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 7 (Robert C. Bauer)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Alleppy
6 marks6 other pre-1854 postal markings of Alleppy are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Alleppy pre stamp cover
COV-5 is an Alleppy pre stamp cover of 11 January 1831 bearing the Alleppy HG Add. 2 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Alleppy postal history — the office known today as Alappuzha, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
Faint but legible strike in red with manuscript "11th Jany 1831" date on back of folded letter to the Dewan of Cochin, Emaculam, endorsed Service. Fine, thought to be the only recorded example, unknown until the 2000 Supplement by Giles.
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9054 lot 10003 (May 2026).
2 images of COV-5 are recorded (front, back); the Alleppy HG Add. 2 mark itself is recorded in use 1831.
Questions about COV-5
- What is COV-5?
- COV-5 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Alleppy, Madras Presidency of 11 January 1831, bearing the Alleppy HG Add. 2 handstamp in red. Faint but legible strike in red with manuscript "11th Jany 1831" date on back of folded letter to the Dewan of Cochin, Emaculam, endorsed Service. Fine, thought to be the only recorded example, unknown until the 2000 Supplement by Giles.
- How scarce is the Alleppy HG Add. 2 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Alleppy HG Add. 2 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1831.
- What is the provenance of COV-5?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9054 lot 10003 (May 2026).
- When was COV-5 posted?
- COV-5 is dated 11 January 1831, within the recorded period of use of Alleppy HG Add. 2 (1831).
About this record
This 11 January 1831 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Alleppy HG Add. 2 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 9054, lot 10003, (May 2026). Recorded prices realized: $1,500, Siegel Auction Galleries, (2026).