Scan or Photo Courtesy of Grosvenor Auctions
Date
1842
Description
India: 1842 (Aug.) entire letter to Bordeaux with framed “PONDICHERRY/Paid” (Giles type 7) mark endorsed ‘1as. 3as Steamer and Inland’ with oval “INDIA” (Giles type SD6, matrix II) and framed “PAQUEBOTS/DE LA/MEDITERRANEE” (Salles type 726) marks and a Marseilles transit datestamp. Rated ‘12’ decimes on arrival. Interesting content (in French) on matters of trade in coconut oil but that the indigo harvest is poor with little demand for French products locally.
Auction
GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, Lot 1808
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-5402 is a Pondicherry pre stamp cover of 1842 bearing the Pondicherry HG 12 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?
India: 1842 (Aug.) entire letter to Bordeaux with framed “PONDICHERRY/Paid” (Giles type 7) mark endorsed ‘1as. 3as Steamer and Inland’ with oval “INDIA” (Giles type SD6, matrix II) and framed “PAQUEBOTS/DE LA/MEDITERRANEE” (Salles type 726) marks and a Marseilles transit datestamp. Rated ‘12’ decimes on arrival. Interesting content (in French) on matters of trade in coconut oil but that the indigo harvest is poor with little demand for French products locally.
Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 1808.
1 image of COV-5402 is recorded; the Pondicherry HG 12 mark itself is recorded in use 1849–1858.
Questions about COV-5402
- What is COV-5402?
- COV-5402 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Pondicherry, Madras Presidency of 1842, bearing the Pondicherry HG 12 handstamp in red. India: 1842 (Aug.) entire letter to Bordeaux with framed “PONDICHERRY/Paid” (Giles type 7) mark endorsed ‘1as. 3as Steamer and Inland’ with oval “INDIA” (Giles type SD6, matrix II) and framed “PAQUEBOTS/DE LA/MEDITERRANEE” (Salles type 726) marks and a Marseilles transit datestamp. Rated ‘12’ decimes on arrival. Interesting content (in French) on matters of trade in coconut oil but that the indigo harvest is poor with little demand for French products locally.
- How scarce is the Pondicherry HG 12 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Pondicherry HG 12 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1849–1858.
- What is the provenance of COV-5402?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 1808.
- When was COV-5402 posted?
- COV-5402 is dated 1842, within the recorded period of use of Pondicherry HG 12 (1849–1858).
About this record
This 1842 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Pondicherry HG 12 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 36 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions, GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, lot 1808.