Scan or Photo Courtesy of David Feldman Auctions
Date
1843
Description
PONDICHERRY TO PARIS — 24 DECEMBER 1843 — RARE WAGHORN ROUTE EXPRESS LETTER VIA BOMBAY, SUEZ & ALEXANDRIA. Exceptional entire letter from Pondicherry to Paris, posted 24 December 1843 and carried by the celebrated Waghorn overland route, via Madras, Bombay, Suez, Alexandria and Marseilles. Struck with the rare PONDICHERRY POST PAID HG7 All-India type, with 14 annas postage prepaid, together with an additional 8 annas paid for express transmission via Madras and the Madras G.P.O. MX5 marking. On arrival in France the letter was assessed “90” postage due. A particularly scarce example of express mail from French India carried through the British Indian and overland postal systems, and an important pre-adhesive cover illustrating the speed and complexity of the Waghorn-era India–Europe mails.
Auction
2026 Winter Auction Series — India, Indian States, Nepal, Tibet, Lot 40173, (2026)
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-5798 is a Pondicherry pre stamp cover of 1843 bearing the Pondicherry HG 7 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?
PONDICHERRY TO PARIS — 24 DECEMBER 1843 — RARE WAGHORN ROUTE EXPRESS LETTER VIA BOMBAY, SUEZ & ALEXANDRIA. Exceptional entire letter from Pondicherry to Paris, posted 24 December 1843 and carried by the celebrated Waghorn overland route, via Madras, Bombay, Suez, Alexandria and Marseilles. Struck with the rare PONDICHERRY POST PAID HG7 All-India type, with 14 annas postage prepaid, together with an additional 8 annas paid for express transmission via Madras and the Madras G.P.O. MX5 marking. On arrival in France the letter was assessed “90” postage due. A particularly scarce example of express mail from French India carried through the British Indian and overland postal systems, and an important pre-adhesive cover illustrating the speed and complexity of the Waghorn-era India–Europe mails.
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA 2026 Winter Auction Series — India, Indian States, Nepal, Tibet lot 40173 (2026).
2 images of COV-5798 are recorded; the Pondicherry HG 7 mark itself is recorded in use 1838–1851.
Questions about COV-5798
- What is COV-5798?
- COV-5798 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Pondicherry, Madras Presidency of 1843, bearing the Pondicherry HG 7 handstamp in red. PONDICHERRY TO PARIS — 24 DECEMBER 1843 — RARE WAGHORN ROUTE EXPRESS LETTER VIA BOMBAY, SUEZ & ALEXANDRIA. Exceptional entire letter from Pondicherry to Paris, posted 24 December 1843 and carried by the celebrated Waghorn overland route, via Madras, Bombay, Suez, Alexandria and Marseilles. Struck with the rare PONDICHERRY POST PAID HG7 All-India type, with 14 annas postage prepaid, together with an additional 8 annas paid for express transmission via Madras and the Madras G.P.O. MX5 marking. On arrival in France the letter was assessed “90” postage due. A particularly scarce example of express mail from French India carried through the British Indian and overland postal systems, and an important pre-adhesive cover illustrating the speed and complexity of the Waghorn-era India–Europe mails.
- How scarce is the Pondicherry HG 7 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Pondicherry HG 7 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1838–1851.
- What is the provenance of COV-5798?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA 2026 Winter Auction Series — India, Indian States, Nepal, Tibet lot 40173 (2026).
- When was COV-5798 posted?
- COV-5798 is dated 1843, within the recorded period of use of Pondicherry HG 7 (1838–1851).
About this record
This 1843 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Pondicherry HG 7 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 18 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, 2026 Winter Auction Series — India, Indian States, Nepal, Tibet, lot 40173, (2026).