Scan or Photo Courtesy of Gowtham BJ
Date
1815
Description
1816 (March 25) “POST.PAID./HYDERABAD.” black oval pm on letter datelined “Bolarum 25th March 1816”, sent from Bolarum via Hyderabad and Madras to Rev. John Campbell in Blackwell near London. Also on front written endorsement regarding ship letter postage and light strike of crowned black “INDIA PACKET LETTER/GPO/LONDON/15OC”. Red oval “4 o’Clock/OC 15/1816 EV.” London evening delivery ds on the reverse. Charged 3s 6d on delivery for single packet India letter (as per The English Post Office Act of 1815). A very fine complete folded letter with full content showing fine impression of the first postmark used by British India in Hyderabad.
Auction
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Other recorded marks at Hyderabad
11 marks11 other pre-1854 postal markings of Hyderabad are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Hyderabad HG 1AhandstampBlack1815
- Hyderabad HG 2handstampBlack1817-19
- Hyderabad HG 3handstampBlack1820–1837
- Hyderabad HG 4handstampBlack1832–1837
- Hyderabad HG 5handstampBlack1836-37
- Hyderabad HG 6handstampBlack1834–1837
+5 more at this office.View all Hyderabad marks and postal history →
About this Hyderabad pre stamp cover
COV-880 is a Hyderabad pre stamp cover of 1815 bearing the Hyderabad HG 1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Hyderabad postal history, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
1816 (March 25) “POST.PAID./HYDERABAD.” black oval pm on letter datelined “Bolarum 25th March 1816”, sent from Bolarum via Hyderabad and Madras to Rev. John Campbell in Blackwell near London. Also on front written endorsement regarding ship letter postage and light strike of crowned black “INDIA PACKET LETTER/GPO/LONDON/15OC”. Red oval “4 o’Clock/OC 15/1816 EV.” London evening delivery ds on the reverse. Charged 3s 6d on delivery for single packet India letter (as per The English Post Office Act of 1815). A very fine complete folded letter with full content showing fine impression of the first postmark used by British India in Hyderabad.
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman lot 30398.
2 images of COV-880 are recorded; the Hyderabad HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1810–1819.
Questions about COV-880
- What is COV-880?
- COV-880 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Hyderabad, Madras Presidency of 1815, bearing the Hyderabad HG 1 handstamp in black. 1816 (March 25) “POST.PAID./HYDERABAD.” black oval pm on letter datelined “Bolarum 25th March 1816”, sent from Bolarum via Hyderabad and Madras to Rev. John Campbell in Blackwell near London. Also on front written endorsement regarding ship letter postage and light strike of crowned black “INDIA PACKET LETTER/GPO/LONDON/15OC”. Red oval “4 o’Clock/OC 15/1816 EV.” London evening delivery ds on the reverse. Charged 3s 6d on delivery for single packet India letter (as per The English Post Office Act of 1815). A very fine complete folded letter with full content showing fine impression of the first postmark used by British India in Hyderabad.
- How scarce is the Hyderabad HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Hyderabad HG 1 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1810–1819.
- What is the provenance of COV-880?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman lot 30398.
- When was COV-880 posted?
- COV-880 is dated 1815, within the recorded period of use of Hyderabad HG 1 (1810–1819).
About this record
This 1815 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Hyderabad HG 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — one of 6 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, lot 30398.