Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Description
INDIA, (Danish Settlement), Tranquebar, ca. 1800s, "Post Paid//Trandr." Handstamp (Giles 1). Bold oval strike (though affected at center by insect holes) on folded cover with manuscript "1f" rate addressed to Pondicherry, French India, cover with some minor ink erosion, still Fine and very rare use of this Danish settlement marking and noted as rare by Giles, especially so to Pondicherry, a French settlement, this marking is not recorded used during the British periods, Tranquebar was a Danish territory from 1620 until the British captured it during the Napoleonic Wars in 1808 and held it until 1814 (before being sold back to the British in 1845), with 1998 R.P.S. certificate Certificate 1998 R.P.S. No. 170712
Auction
Sale 1301, Lot 6051
Provenance
"Magnolia"
Certificates
Same office
Other recorded marks at Tranquebar
8 marks8 other pre-1854 postal markings of Tranquebar are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Tranquebar HG 2handstampRed1822–1823
- Tranquebar HG 2Ahandstamp1811
- Tranquebar HG 3handstampRed1831–1837
- Tranquebar HG 4handstampRed1838–1849
- Tranquebar HG 5handstampBlack1843
- Tranquebar HG 6handstampRed1850–1858
+2 more at this office.View all Tranquebar marks and postal history →
About this Tranquebar pre stamp cover
COV-120 is a Tranquebar pre stamp cover bearing the Tranquebar HG 1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Tranquebar postal history — the office known today as Tharangambadi, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
INDIA, (Danish Settlement), Tranquebar, ca. 1800s, "Post Paid//Trandr." Handstamp (Giles 1). Bold oval strike (though affected at center by insect holes) on folded cover with manuscript "1f" rate addressed to Pondicherry, French India, cover with some minor ink erosion, still Fine and very rare use of this Danish settlement marking and noted as rare by Giles, especially so to Pondicherry, a French settlement, this marking is not recorded used during the British periods, Tranquebar was a Danish territory from 1620 until the British captured it during the Napoleonic Wars in 1808 and held it until 1814 (before being sold back to the British in 1845), with 1998 R.P.S. certificate Certificate 1998 R.P.S. No. 170712
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1301 lot 6051.
3 images of COV-120 are recorded (front, back); the Tranquebar HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1800–1829.
Questions about COV-120
- What is COV-120?
- COV-120 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Tranquebar, Madras Presidency, bearing the Tranquebar HG 1 handstamp in black. INDIA, (Danish Settlement), Tranquebar, ca. 1800s, "Post Paid//Trandr." Handstamp (Giles 1). Bold oval strike (though affected at center by insect holes) on folded cover with manuscript "1f" rate addressed to Pondicherry, French India, cover with some minor ink erosion, still Fine and very rare use of this Danish settlement marking and noted as rare by Giles, especially so to Pondicherry, a French settlement, this marking is not recorded used during the British periods, Tranquebar was a Danish territory from 1620 until the British captured it during the Napoleonic Wars in 1808 and held it until 1814 (before being sold back to the British in 1845), with 1998 R.P.S. certificate Certificate 1998 R.P.S. No. 170712
- How scarce is the Tranquebar HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Tranquebar HG 1 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1800–1829.
- What is the provenance of COV-120?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1301 lot 6051.
About this record
This pre-1854 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Tranquebar HG 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — one of 6 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 1301, lot 6051.