COV-444
20 February 1810 Seringapatam Cover


Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
20 February 1810
Description
India, Seringapatam, 1810, "Post Paid/Seringapatam" Oval Handstamp (Giles 3). Legible partial strike on folded letter with "4½f" rate and "20 Feby 1810" date, written by William Garrard to his friend Capt. Thomas de Havilland in Bangalore, letter written while de Havilland was detailed and waiting court martial for his suspected involvement in the 1809 mutiny in Seringapatam, Very Fine, the Seringapatam marking is noted as "rare" by Giles, the "Great White Mutiny" was an often overlooked revolt by soldiers in the East India Company who felt under-represented by the Governor of Madras, George Barlow, de Havilland was court martialed as part of the mutiny but argued his involvement was due to unknowingly passing messages between his superiors
Auction
Sale 9042, Lot 10105, — The Magnolia Collection Part 6
Same office
Other recorded marks at Seringapatam
12 marks12 other pre-1854 postal markings of Seringapatam are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Seringapatam HG 1handstampBlack1799
- Seringapatam HG 2handstampBlack1801
- Seringapatam HG 4handstampBlack1800–1823
- Seringapatam HG 5handstampRed1837
- Seringapatam HG 6handstampBlack1828–1837
- Seringapatam HG 7handstampRed1842
+6 more at this office.View all Seringapatam marks and postal history →
About this Seringapatam pre stamp cover
COV-444 is a Seringapatam pre stamp cover of 20 February 1810 bearing the Seringapatam HG 3 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Seringapatam postal history — the office known today as Srirangapatna, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Seringapatam, 1810, "Post Paid/Seringapatam" Oval Handstamp (Giles 3). Legible partial strike on folded letter with "4½f" rate and "20 Feby 1810" date, written by William Garrard to his friend Capt. Thomas de Havilland in Bangalore, letter written while de Havilland was detailed and waiting court martial for his suspected involvement in the 1809 mutiny in Seringapatam, Very Fine, the Seringapatam marking is noted as "rare" by Giles, the "Great White Mutiny" was an often overlooked revolt by soldiers in the East India Company who felt under-represented by the Governor of Madras, George Barlow, de Havilland was court martialed as part of the mutiny but argued his involvement was due to unknowingly passing messages between his superiors
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9042 lot 10105.
2 images of COV-444 are recorded (front, back); the Seringapatam HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1801–1815.
Questions about COV-444
- What is COV-444?
- COV-444 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Seringapatam, Madras Presidency of 20 February 1810, bearing the Seringapatam HG 3 handstamp in black. India, Seringapatam, 1810, "Post Paid/Seringapatam" Oval Handstamp (Giles 3). Legible partial strike on folded letter with "4½f" rate and "20 Feby 1810" date, written by William Garrard to his friend Capt. Thomas de Havilland in Bangalore, letter written while de Havilland was detailed and waiting court martial for his suspected involvement in the 1809 mutiny in Seringapatam, Very Fine, the Seringapatam marking is noted as "rare" by Giles, the "Great White Mutiny" was an often overlooked revolt by soldiers in the East India Company who felt under-represented by the Governor of Madras, George Barlow, de Havilland was court martialed as part of the mutiny but argued his involvement was due to unknowingly passing messages between his superiors
- How scarce is the Seringapatam HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Seringapatam HG 3 as very scarce, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1801–1815.
- What is the provenance of COV-444?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9042 lot 10105.
- When was COV-444 posted?
- COV-444 is dated 20 February 1810, within the recorded period of use of Seringapatam HG 3 (1801–1815).
About this record
This 20 February 1810 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Seringapatam HG 3 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Very scarce” in this census — one of 11 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 9042, lot 10105.

