Scan or Photo Courtesy of Ravi Vora
Date
29 November 1849
Description
Jhansi to Kotah, 29 November 1849. Stampless folded letter bearing the red framed Jhansi prestamp handstamp (Giles JH2) and manuscript “2 As” prepayment of the interprovincial rate. The postal clerk wrote the date in English (“29 November”) and the year in Persian numerals (“49” = 1849), all in the same ink and hand. Addressed in English to “Dannul Shet, Kotah,” with Shet/Sheth representing the anglicized mercantile honorific for a respected businessman. Additional address lines appear in PersianUrdu and GujaratiHindi mercantile script, typical of Marwari/Jain commercial correspondence between Bundelkhand and Rajputana.
Same office
Other recorded marks at Jansi
1 markOne other pre-1854 postal marking of Jansi is recorded in the census. Compare it against this mark to place your cover.
About this record
This 29 November 1849 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Jansi HG 2 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Scarce” in this census — one of 5 surviving covers with this mark recorded.