Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
19 March 1840
Description
India, Cumbum, 1840, "CUMBUM/Paid" Framed Handstamp (Giles 2). Faint but legible strike in red with manuscript "19 March 1840" date and "8 As Double to Bombay" rate added on back of long folded letter to Devon, forwarded to Bideford, sender's directive "Pr Steamer via Marseilles to England" , red "INDIA" oval handstamp, London (May 8) transit backstamp, manuscript "2/8" rate marking, letter with fascinating contents (fully transcribed) which highlights current events and potential issues arising from the "unsettled state of the Frontiers" , Burma, Afghanistan, China, and even Egypt, Very Fine
Auction
Sale 9042, Lot 10059, — The Magnolia Collection Part 6
Same office
Other recorded marks at Cumbum
1 markOne other pre-1854 postal marking of Cumbum is recorded in the census. Compare it against this mark to place your cover.
About this record
This 19 March 1840 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Cumbum HG 2 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” 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 9042, lot 10059.