Scan or Photo Courtesy of Pragya Jain
Date
12 April 1856
Description
The exact location of Punjamal District Office where this cover was posted is not known but it has been shown to have been close to Palamcottah. In accordance with standard practice mail posted at a District Office that could not be delivered by the District Office would have been handed in by the District Office to the nearest Imperial Post Office. The circle of bars obliteration of the postage stamps was used only by District Post Offices in the Madras Circle.
Auction
Lot 652, (2024)
About this Punajmal pre stamp cover
COV-5610 is a Punajmal pre stamp cover of 12 April 1856 bearing the Punajmal HG 1 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Punajmal postal history — the office known today as Palayamkottai, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
The exact location of Punjamal District Office where this cover was posted is not known but it has been shown to have been close to Palamcottah. In accordance with standard practice mail posted at a District Office that could not be delivered by the District Office would have been handed in by the District Office to the nearest Imperial Post Office. The circle of bars obliteration of the postage stamps was used only by District Post Offices in the Madras Circle.
Its recorded auction history runs through Argyll Etkin lot 652 (2024).
2 images of COV-5610 are recorded (front, back); the Punajmal HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1856.
Questions about COV-5610
- What is COV-5610?
- COV-5610 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Punajmal, Madras Presidency of 12 April 1856, bearing the Punajmal HG 1 handstamp in red. The exact location of Punjamal District Office where this cover was posted is not known but it has been shown to have been close to Palamcottah. In accordance with standard practice mail posted at a District Office that could not be delivered by the District Office would have been handed in by the District Office to the nearest Imperial Post Office. The circle of bars obliteration of the postage stamps was used only by District Post Offices in the Madras Circle.
- How scarce is the Punajmal HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Punajmal HG 1 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1856.
- What is the provenance of COV-5610?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Argyll Etkin lot 652 (2024).
- When was COV-5610 posted?
- COV-5610 is dated 12 April 1856, within the recorded period of use of Punajmal HG 1 (1856).
About this record
This 12 April 1856 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Punajmal HG 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — one of 2 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Argyll Etkin, lot 652, (2024).