Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Date
1817
Description
India The Third Mahratta and Pindari War 1817 (10 June) entire letter "from Adam Hastie, private Soldier Captain Harveys Company 2nd. Battn. His Majesty Royal Scots" to Scotland, countersigned by the Commanding Officer and showing "madras/packet-letter" oval d.s. (25.6), oval-framed "post paid", oval-framed "paid/india/packet letter" d.s. (21.2.18) (In. P1) and London Paid c.d.s. (21.2), all on face, the reverse with Madras G.P.O. oval d.s. (25.6) and manuscript "from Hyderabad" applied by recipient ?; the contents, headed "Camp South East Bank Outram River", include "I belong to the 2nd. Battn Royal Scots at present serving with the Hyderabad Subsidiary Force under the command of Col Doveton. The Batt. has been close on three years in actual field service." and "Our encampment is at present in Holkar´s Dominions. Our operations are at present suspended on account of periodical rains which lately have set in.". A fine and rare letter from this war. Photo Estimate £ 400-500 Note: On 11th. July 1815 the East India Packet and Ship Letter Act was passed by the British Parliament. This established a Packet service between the U.K. and India and for the first time by law granted a 1d. privilege to soldiers of the East India Company and British Armies serving in India and St. Helena
Auction
Same office
Other recorded marks at Madras
81 marks81 other pre-1854 postal markings of Madras are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Madras HG 1handstampBlack1786–1806
- Madras HG 2handstampBlack1788
- Madras HG 3handstampBlack1791–1816
- Madras HG 4handstampBlack1795–1826
- Madras HG 5handstampBlack1799–1800
- Madras HG 6handstampBlack1802–1822
+75 more at this office.View all Madras marks and postal history →
About this Madras pre stamp cover
COV-5181 is a Madras pre stamp cover of 1817 bearing the Madras SD5 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Madras postal history — the office known today as Chennai, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India The Third Mahratta and Pindari War 1817 (10 June) entire letter "from Adam Hastie, private Soldier Captain Harveys Company 2nd. Battn. His Majesty Royal Scots" to Scotland, countersigned by the Commanding Officer and showing "madras/packet-letter" oval d.s. (25.6), oval-framed "post paid", oval-framed "paid/india/packet letter" d.s. (21.2.18) (In. P1) and London Paid c.d.s. (21.2), all on face, the reverse with Madras G.P.O. oval d.s. (25.6) and manuscript "from Hyderabad" applied by recipient ?; the contents, headed "Camp South East Bank Outram River", include "I belong to the 2nd. Battn Royal Scots at present serving with the Hyderabad Subsidiary Force under the command of Col Doveton. The Batt. has been close on three years in actual field service." and "Our encampment is at present in Holkar´s Dominions. Our operations are at present suspended on account of periodical rains which lately have set in.". A fine and rare letter from this war. Photo Estimate £ 400-500 Note: On 11th. July 1815 the East India Packet and Ship Letter Act was passed by the British Parliament. This established a Packet service between the U.K. and India and for the first time by law granted a 1d. privilege to soldiers of the East India Company and British Armies serving in India and St. Helena
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Soldiers' Rates of the BE - Gerald Sattin Collection (Sale 8029) lot 164.
1 image of COV-5181 is recorded; the Madras SD5 mark itself is recorded in use 1816–1819.
Questions about COV-5181
- What is COV-5181?
- COV-5181 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Madras, Madras Presidency of 1817, bearing the Madras SD5 handstamp in black. India The Third Mahratta and Pindari War 1817 (10 June) entire letter "from Adam Hastie, private Soldier Captain Harveys Company 2nd. Battn. His Majesty Royal Scots" to Scotland, countersigned by the Commanding Officer and showing "madras/packet-letter" oval d.s. (25.6), oval-framed "post paid", oval-framed "paid/india/packet letter" d.s. (21.2.18) (In. P1) and London Paid c.d.s. (21.2), all on face, the reverse with Madras G.P.O. oval d.s. (25.6) and manuscript "from Hyderabad" applied by recipient ?; the contents, headed "Camp South East Bank Outram River", include "I belong to the 2nd. Battn Royal Scots at present serving with the Hyderabad Subsidiary Force under the command of Col Doveton. The Batt. has been close on three years in actual field service." and "Our encampment is at present in Holkar´s Dominions. Our operations are at present suspended on account of periodical rains which lately have set in.". A fine and rare letter from this war. Photo Estimate £ 400-500 Note: On 11th. July 1815 the East India Packet and Ship Letter Act was passed by the British Parliament. This established a Packet service between the U.K. and India and for the first time by law granted a 1d. privilege to soldiers of the East India Company and British Armies serving in India and St. Helena
- How scarce is the Madras SD5 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Madras SD5 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1816–1819.
- What is the provenance of COV-5181?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Soldiers' Rates of the BE - Gerald Sattin Collection (Sale 8029) lot 164.
- When was COV-5181 posted?
- COV-5181 is dated 1817, within the recorded period of use of Madras SD5 (1816–1819).
About this record
This 1817 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Madras SD5 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 19 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, Soldiers' Rates of the BE - Gerald Sattin Collection (Sale 8029), lot 164.