COV-2468
9 July 1841 Tellicherry HG 5 Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Santosh MS
Date
9 July 1841
Description
1841 Mahe (served via Tellicherry) – Paris overland entire via Marseilles route, with Tellicherry Giles 5 "TELLICHERY/Paid" hand stamp, date "9th July 41" & paid rate "8as, steam post 9a/1R1A" (comprising 8A single letter inland postage to Bombay weighing under ¼ tolah & 9A steam postage to Alexandria) applied in manuscript. No transit mark was applied at Bombay. From Bombay sent to Aden by EIC regular steamer AUCKLAND; mails from AUCKLAND transferred to EIC steamer BERENICE at Aden & then sent to Suez, then travelled overland to Alexandria, from there sent to Malta via P&O steamer Gt. LIVERPOOL, & sent to Marseilles via H.M.'s packet PROMETHEUS. "PAQUEBOTS/DE LA/MÉDITERRANÉE" French Sea Post Office transit mark & 20 decimes (French 10 decimes inland postage + 10 decimes Mediterranean steam postage) bearing postage applied in manuscript. Reached Marseilles on 31st August & then sent to Paris. Finally reached Paris & there "6 PARIS 6/3 SEPT./41/(60)" receipt mark applied, bearing postage collected from the recipient.
Same office
Other recorded marks at Tellicherry
5 marks5 other pre-1854 postal markings of Tellicherry are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Tellicherry pre stamp cover
COV-2468 is a Tellicherry pre stamp cover of 9 July 1841 — a folded letter or entire carried through the post of British India before the first adhesive stamp of 1854, so its postage is shown entirely by hand-struck marks and manuscript rates. It bears the Tellicherry HG 5 handstamp, struck in red, and is recorded in the census of Tellicherry postal history — the office known today as Thalassery, in the Madras Presidency.
1841 Mahe (served via Tellicherry) – Paris overland entire via Marseilles route, with Tellicherry Giles 5 "TELLICHERY/Paid" hand stamp, date "9th July 41" & paid rate "8as, steam post 9a/1R1A" (comprising 8A single letter inland postage to Bombay weighing under ¼ tolah & 9A steam postage to Alexandria) applied in manuscript. No transit mark was applied at Bombay. From Bombay sent to Aden by EIC regular steamer AUCKLAND; mails from AUCKLAND transferred to EIC steamer BERENICE at Aden & then sent to Suez, then travelled overland to Alexandria, from there sent to Malta via P&O steamer Gt. LIVERPOOL, & sent to Marseilles via H.M.'s packet PROMETHEUS. "PAQUEBOTS/DE LA/MÉDITERRANÉE" French Sea Post Office transit mark & 20 decimes (French 10 decimes inland postage + 10 decimes Mediterranean steam postage) bearing postage applied in manuscript. Reached Marseilles on 31st August & then sent to Paris. Finally reached Paris & there "6 PARIS 6/3 SEPT./41/(60)" receipt mark applied, bearing postage collected from the recipient.
1 image of this cover is recorded (front), so the strike can be compared directly against other examples. Each recorded cover of Tellicherry HG 5 adds to the evidence base for how the mark was used and how scarce it is — the census counts surviving examples rather than estimating them.
Questions about COV-2468
- What is COV-2468?
- COV-2468 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Tellicherry, Madras Presidency, British India of 9 July 1841, bearing the Tellicherry HG 5 handstamp. It is catalogued in an open census of pre-1854 Indian postal history, with 1 image of the cover itself, its date and its provenance. 1841 Mahe (served via Tellicherry) – Paris overland entire via Marseilles route, with Tellicherry Giles 5 "TELLICHERY/Paid" hand stamp, date "9th July 41" & paid rate "8as, steam post 9a/1R1A" (comprising 8A single letter inland postage to Bombay weighing under ¼ tolah & 9A steam postage to Alexandria) applied in manuscript. No transit mark was applied at Bombay. From Bombay sent to Aden by EIC regular steamer AUCKLAND; mails from AUCKLAND transferred to EIC steamer BERENICE at Aden & then sent to Suez, then travelled overland to Alexandria, from there sent to Malta via P&O steamer Gt. LIVERPOOL, & sent to Marseilles via H.M.'s packet PROMETHEUS. "PAQUEBOTS/DE LA/MÉDITERRANÉE" French Sea Post Office transit mark & 20 decimes (French 10 decimes inland postage + 10 decimes Mediterranean steam postage) bearing postage applied in manuscript. Reached Marseilles on 31st August & then sent to Paris. Finally reached Paris & there "6 PARIS 6/3 SEPT./41/(60)" receipt mark applied, bearing postage collected from the recipient.
- What postal marking does this Tellicherry cover bear?
- It carries the Tellicherry HG 5 handstamp, struck in red, a mark recorded in use 1839–1858. The census grades Tellicherry HG 5 as common, a rarity derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded rather than estimated. Postage on a cover of this period was shown entirely by hand-struck marks and manuscript rates — India's first adhesive stamp did not appear until 1854.
- When was COV-2468 posted?
- COV-2468 is dated 9 July 1841. Dating a pre-1854 Indian cover rests on its datestamp, any manuscript endorsement, and the recorded period of use of the Tellicherry HG 5 handstamp, which is recorded in use 1839–1858.
- How can I tell whether my Tellicherry cover matches this one?
- Compare the strike on your cover against the images recorded here — the shape, size and colour of the Tellicherry HG 5 handstamp, its position on the cover, and the date. Then check it against the other recorded examples of Tellicherry HG 5 and the other marks used at Tellicherry. If your cover is not already in the census you can submit it, and it will be reviewed before publication.
About this record
This 9 July 1841 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Tellicherry HG 5 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 3 surviving covers with this mark recorded.