Scan or Photo Courtesy of Gowtham BJ
Date
1793
Description
**1793 entire letter posted from Guernsey on 10th June 1793, addressed to Mr. Thomas Fiott de Havilland at Madras. The letter reached Madras after 177 days, carried by the East Indiaman *Earl Cornwallis*, a 755-ton ship which completed eight voyages between 1784 and 1800.** **The ship first arrived at Vizagapatam, situated on the coast north of Madras, approximately 490 miles away. This is confirmed by the manuscript endorsement: “Post Not Paid 5 Fannams from ship Vizagapatam 4th Dec 93.” As Vizagapatam did not have a “Post Not Paid” handstamp, the bearing postage of 5 fanams was recorded in manuscript.** This is the only recorded letter showing bearing postage in manuscript from Vizagapatam.
Auction
Same office
Other recorded marks at Vizagapatam
7 marks7 other pre-1854 postal markings of Vizagapatam are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Vizagapatam HG 1handstampBlack1788
- Vizagapatam HG 2handstampBlack1788–1819
- Vizagapatam HG 3handstampBlack1816
- Vizagapatam HG 4handstampRed1823–1836
- Vizagapatam HG 5handstampBlack1827
- Vizagapatam HG 6handstampBlack1838–1841
+1 more at this office.View all Vizagapatam marks and postal history →
About this Vizagapatam pre stamp cover
COV-584 is a Vizagapatam pre stamp cover of 1793 bearing the Vizagapatam MN 1 manuscript marking, recorded in the census of Vizagapatam postal history — the office known today as Visakhapatnam, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
**1793 entire letter posted from Guernsey on 10th June 1793, addressed to Mr. Thomas Fiott de Havilland at Madras. The letter reached Madras after 177 days, carried by the East Indiaman *Earl Cornwallis*, a 755-ton ship which completed eight voyages between 1784 and 1800.** **The ship first arrived at Vizagapatam, situated on the coast north of Madras, approximately 490 miles away. This is confirmed by the manuscript endorsement: “Post Not Paid 5 Fannams from ship Vizagapatam 4th Dec 93.” As Vizagapatam did not have a “Post Not Paid” handstamp, the bearing postage of 5 fanams was recorded in manuscript.** This is the only recorded letter showing bearing postage in manuscript from Vizagapatam.
Its recorded auction history runs through Private.
1 image of COV-584 is recorded (front); the Vizagapatam MN 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1793.
Questions about COV-584
- What is COV-584?
- COV-584 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Vizagapatam, Madras Presidency of 1793, bearing the Vizagapatam MN 1 manuscript marking. **1793 entire letter posted from Guernsey on 10th June 1793, addressed to Mr. Thomas Fiott de Havilland at Madras. The letter reached Madras after 177 days, carried by the East Indiaman *Earl Cornwallis*, a 755-ton ship which completed eight voyages between 1784 and 1800.** **The ship first arrived at Vizagapatam, situated on the coast north of Madras, approximately 490 miles away. This is confirmed by the manuscript endorsement: “Post Not Paid 5 Fannams from ship Vizagapatam 4th Dec 93.” As Vizagapatam did not have a “Post Not Paid” handstamp, the bearing postage of 5 fanams was recorded in manuscript.** This is the only recorded letter showing bearing postage in manuscript from Vizagapatam.
- How scarce is the Vizagapatam MN 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Vizagapatam MN 1 as 1 example recorded, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1793.
- What is the provenance of COV-584?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Private.
- When was COV-584 posted?
- COV-584 is dated 1793, within the recorded period of use of Vizagapatam MN 1 (1793).
About this record
This 1793 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Vizagapatam MN 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark with 1 example recorded in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Private.