COV-5005
23 October 1838 Ootacamund Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of David Feldman Auctions
Date
23 October 1838
Description
This entire was written in Ootacamund on the 22nd October 1838 and has the **Ootacamund 23 October 1838 Paid** Post Office stamp with the Manuscript amount of postage as 12As. The instructions were for the letter to be sent via Bombay & Alexandria and from the **INDIA** in an ellipse in black, most unusual, the letter was sent via Bombay. The letter arrived in London on the 7th Jan 1835, London Post Office Stamp and postage paid was Sh2/6.
Auction
Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, Lot 50707, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Ootacamund
5 marks5 other pre-1854 postal markings of Ootacamund are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Ootacamund pre stamp cover
COV-5005 is an Ootacamund pre stamp cover of 23 October 1838 bearing the Ootacamund HG 4 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Ootacamund postal history — the office known today as Udhagamandalam, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
This entire was written in Ootacamund on the 22nd October 1838 and has the **Ootacamund 23 October 1838 Paid** Post Office stamp with the Manuscript amount of postage as 12As. The instructions were for the letter to be sent via Bombay & Alexandria and from the **INDIA** in an ellipse in black, most unusual, the letter was sent via Bombay. The letter arrived in London on the 7th Jan 1835, London Post Office Stamp and postage paid was Sh2/6.
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
1 image of COV-5005 is recorded (front); the Ootacamund HG 4 mark itself is recorded in use 1838–1856.
Questions about COV-5005
- What is COV-5005?
- COV-5005 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Ootacamund, Madras Presidency of 23 October 1838, bearing the Ootacamund HG 4 handstamp in red. This entire was written in Ootacamund on the 22nd October 1838 and has the **Ootacamund 23 October 1838 Paid** Post Office stamp with the Manuscript amount of postage as 12As. The instructions were for the letter to be sent via Bombay & Alexandria and from the **INDIA** in an ellipse in black, most unusual, the letter was sent via Bombay. The letter arrived in London on the 7th Jan 1835, London Post Office Stamp and postage paid was Sh2/6.
- How scarce is the Ootacamund HG 4 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Ootacamund HG 4 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1838–1856.
- What is the provenance of COV-5005?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
- When was COV-5005 posted?
- COV-5005 is dated 23 October 1838, within the recorded period of use of Ootacamund HG 4 (1838–1856).
About this record
This 23 October 1838 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Ootacamund HG 4 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 17 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, lot 50707, (2025).