Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Date
1839
Description
(x) India Early Covers and Cancellations Pondicherry 1839 (16 Nov.) entire letter to Lyon, with on the reverse a fine strike of 'out station/ madras 16 no 16/ 1839/ ship letter' oval handstamp in black, oval 'india' in red to face alongside 'paquebots/ de la/ mediterranee' boxed red handstamp, and on the back flap 'pondicherry/ paid' boxed cachet in red, other transit and arrival markings and notations; fine Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.
Auction
Same office
Other recorded marks at Pondicherry
15 marks15 other pre-1854 postal markings of Pondicherry are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Pondicherry HG 1handstampBlack1786–1823
- Pondicherry HG 1ahandstampBlack1818
- Pondicherry HG 2handstampBlack1795
- Pondicherry HG 3handstampBlack1804–1817
- Pondicherry HG 3AhandstampBlack1801
- Pondicherry HG 4handstampBlack1804–1815
+9 more at this office.View all Pondicherry marks and postal history →
About this Pondicherry pre stamp cover
COV-5197 is a Pondicherry pre stamp cover of 1839 bearing the Pondicherry HG 10 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Pondicherry postal history — the office known today as Puducherry, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
(x) India Early Covers and Cancellations Pondicherry 1839 (16 Nov.) entire letter to Lyon, with on the reverse a fine strike of 'out station/ madras 16 no 16/ 1839/ ship letter' oval handstamp in black, oval 'india' in red to face alongside 'paquebots/ de la/ mediterranee' boxed red handstamp, and on the back flap 'pondicherry/ paid' boxed cachet in red, other transit and arrival markings and notations; fine Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Spink lot 5169.
1 image of COV-5197 is recorded; the Pondicherry HG 10 mark itself is recorded in use 1839–1854.
Questions about COV-5197
- What is COV-5197?
- COV-5197 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Pondicherry, Madras Presidency of 1839, bearing the Pondicherry HG 10 handstamp in red. (x) India Early Covers and Cancellations Pondicherry 1839 (16 Nov.) entire letter to Lyon, with on the reverse a fine strike of 'out station/ madras 16 no 16/ 1839/ ship letter' oval handstamp in black, oval 'india' in red to face alongside 'paquebots/ de la/ mediterranee' boxed red handstamp, and on the back flap 'pondicherry/ paid' boxed cachet in red, other transit and arrival markings and notations; fine Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.
- How scarce is the Pondicherry HG 10 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Pondicherry HG 10 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1839–1854.
- What is the provenance of COV-5197?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Spink lot 5169.
- When was COV-5197 posted?
- COV-5197 is dated 1839, within the recorded period of use of Pondicherry HG 10 (1839–1854).
About this record
This 1839 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Pondicherry HG 10 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 22 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, Spink, lot 5169.