Scan or Photo Courtesy of Gowtham BJ
Date
1837
Description
1837-38 Military Postmaster's postal record of letters posted with postmarks impressed within the notebook reflecting addressee, place of posting and cost of postage; the postmarks comprise unframed "chicacole/post paid" in red (unlisted by Hammond Giles), unframed "chicacole/post not paid" in black (unlisted), "chicacole/Bearing" (unlisted), "chicacole/Paid" in red, "vizianagram/Paid" in red (unlisted), "payakerowpet/Paid" in red-black (unlisted), "rajamundry/Paid", oval-framed "rajamundry/free" in red, "ellore/Paid", "comercolly/Paid", "monigalah/Paid" (unlisted), "secunderabad/Paid" d.s. in red, "secunderabad/Bearing" d.s. and "jaulnah/Paid" d.s. in red, most with multiple strikes ranging from poor to fine. A most remarkable record.
Auction
About this Monigalah pre stamp cover
COV-546 is a Monigalah pre stamp cover of 1837 bearing the Monigalah HG 1 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Monigalah postal history — the office known today as Munagala, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
1837-38 Military Postmaster's postal record of letters posted with postmarks impressed within the notebook reflecting addressee, place of posting and cost of postage; the postmarks comprise unframed "chicacole/post paid" in red (unlisted by Hammond Giles), unframed "chicacole/post not paid" in black (unlisted), "chicacole/Bearing" (unlisted), "chicacole/Paid" in red, "vizianagram/Paid" in red (unlisted), "payakerowpet/Paid" in red-black (unlisted), "rajamundry/Paid", oval-framed "rajamundry/free" in red, "ellore/Paid", "comercolly/Paid", "monigalah/Paid" (unlisted), "secunderabad/Paid" d.s. in red, "secunderabad/Bearing" d.s. and "jaulnah/Paid" d.s. in red, most with multiple strikes ranging from poor to fine. A most remarkable record.
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Stamps and Covers of Asia lot 5120 (2026).
1 image of COV-546 is recorded (front); the Monigalah HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1837.
Questions about COV-546
- What is COV-546?
- COV-546 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Monigalah, Madras Presidency of 1837, bearing the Monigalah HG 1 handstamp in red. 1837-38 Military Postmaster's postal record of letters posted with postmarks impressed within the notebook reflecting addressee, place of posting and cost of postage; the postmarks comprise unframed "chicacole/post paid" in red (unlisted by Hammond Giles), unframed "chicacole/post not paid" in black (unlisted), "chicacole/Bearing" (unlisted), "chicacole/Paid" in red, "vizianagram/Paid" in red (unlisted), "payakerowpet/Paid" in red-black (unlisted), "rajamundry/Paid", oval-framed "rajamundry/free" in red, "ellore/Paid", "comercolly/Paid", "monigalah/Paid" (unlisted), "secunderabad/Paid" d.s. in red, "secunderabad/Bearing" d.s. and "jaulnah/Paid" d.s. in red, most with multiple strikes ranging from poor to fine. A most remarkable record.
- How scarce is the Monigalah HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Monigalah HG 1 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1837.
- What is the provenance of COV-546?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Stamps and Covers of Asia lot 5120 (2026).
- When was COV-546 posted?
- COV-546 is dated 1837, within the recorded period of use of Monigalah HG 1 (1837).
About this record
This 1837 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Monigalah HG 1 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 Spink, Stamps and Covers of Asia, lot 5120, (2026).