Scan or Photo Courtesy of David Feldman Auctions
Date
3 August 1853
Description
An entire letter from a Captain Gosling stationed in Ootacamond to a Mr Van Ingles? Agent for Bearers, Mysore. The letter is dated 3rd August 1842. “Please let me know the expense of ½ hire to Tippacando and the hire from there to Bangalore of 1 set of bearers and I will endeavour to send you the money” On the reverse is the handstamp “OOTACAMUND - 3RD August 53 - 1 As” HG 4 used from 1838-45.
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-5027 is an Ootacamund pre stamp cover of 3 August 1853 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?
An entire letter from a Captain Gosling stationed in Ootacamond to a Mr Van Ingles? Agent for Bearers, Mysore. The letter is dated 3rd August 1842. “Please let me know the expense of ½ hire to Tippacando and the hire from there to Bangalore of 1 set of bearers and I will endeavour to send you the money” On the reverse is the handstamp “OOTACAMUND - 3RD August 53 - 1 As” HG 4 used from 1838-45.
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
1 image of COV-5027 is recorded (front); the Ootacamund HG 4 mark itself is recorded in use 1838–1856.
Questions about COV-5027
- What is COV-5027?
- COV-5027 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Ootacamund, Madras Presidency of 3 August 1853, bearing the Ootacamund HG 4 handstamp in red. An entire letter from a Captain Gosling stationed in Ootacamond to a Mr Van Ingles? Agent for Bearers, Mysore. The letter is dated 3rd August 1842. “Please let me know the expense of ½ hire to Tippacando and the hire from there to Bangalore of 1 set of bearers and I will endeavour to send you the money” On the reverse is the handstamp “OOTACAMUND - 3RD August 53 - 1 As” HG 4 used from 1838-45.
- 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-5027?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
- When was COV-5027 posted?
- COV-5027 is dated 3 August 1853, within the recorded period of use of Ootacamund HG 4 (1838–1856).
About this record
This 3 August 1853 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 16 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, lot 50707, (2025).