Scan or Photo Courtesy of Grosvenor Auctions
Date
1835
Description
India: Cancellations and Covers: 1835 (July 18) entire letter (small faults) to England endorsed “From Private James Bray Grenadiers Company 1st Regiment” and countersigned by the Commanding Officer (Madras European Regiment) at lower left and also endorsed “A Soldiers Letter/Kamptee 18 July 1835” on reverse. Framed “KAMPTEE/POST FREE” (Giles type 1), oval Madras datestamp (Giles MX4), Madras Soldiers Letter c.d.s. (as Giles SD10 but with lower case “E” and London double ring arrival c.d.s. in red on reverse and front with large “SOLDIERS LETTER LONDON/3” mark. Scandalous content “I can go to the market any day I like and purchase a nice little yellow girl for 20 rupees and when I tire of her, I can sell her again, as she is my slave, to anyone who likes to buy her”, important cover. Photo.
Auction
GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, Lot 1019, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Kamptee
11 marks11 other pre-1854 postal markings of Kamptee are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Kamptee HG 2handstampBlack1825–1837
- Kamptee HG 3handstampRed1837–1849
- Kamptee HG 4handstampBlack1843–1846
- Kamptee HG 5handstampRed1836–1853
- Kamptee HG 6handstampRed1849–1854
- Kamptee HG 7handstampBlack1849–1854
+5 more at this office.View all Kamptee marks and postal history →
About this Kamptee pre stamp cover
COV-5383 is a Kamptee pre stamp cover of 1835 bearing the Kamptee HG 1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Kamptee postal history, North Western Provinces. What is a pre stamp cover?
India: Cancellations and Covers: 1835 (July 18) entire letter (small faults) to England endorsed “From Private James Bray Grenadiers Company 1st Regiment” and countersigned by the Commanding Officer (Madras European Regiment) at lower left and also endorsed “A Soldiers Letter/Kamptee 18 July 1835” on reverse. Framed “KAMPTEE/POST FREE” (Giles type 1), oval Madras datestamp (Giles MX4), Madras Soldiers Letter c.d.s. (as Giles SD10 but with lower case “E” and London double ring arrival c.d.s. in red on reverse and front with large “SOLDIERS LETTER LONDON/3” mark. Scandalous content “I can go to the market any day I like and purchase a nice little yellow girl for 20 rupees and when I tire of her, I can sell her again, as she is my slave, to anyone who likes to buy her”, important cover. Photo.
Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 1019 (2025).
1 image of COV-5383 is recorded; the Kamptee HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1831–1836.
Questions about COV-5383
- What is COV-5383?
- COV-5383 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Kamptee, North Western Provinces of 1835, bearing the Kamptee HG 1 handstamp in black. India: Cancellations and Covers: 1835 (July 18) entire letter (small faults) to England endorsed “From Private James Bray Grenadiers Company 1st Regiment” and countersigned by the Commanding Officer (Madras European Regiment) at lower left and also endorsed “A Soldiers Letter/Kamptee 18 July 1835” on reverse. Framed “KAMPTEE/POST FREE” (Giles type 1), oval Madras datestamp (Giles MX4), Madras Soldiers Letter c.d.s. (as Giles SD10 but with lower case “E” and London double ring arrival c.d.s. in red on reverse and front with large “SOLDIERS LETTER LONDON/3” mark. Scandalous content “I can go to the market any day I like and purchase a nice little yellow girl for 20 rupees and when I tire of her, I can sell her again, as she is my slave, to anyone who likes to buy her”, important cover. Photo.
- How scarce is the Kamptee HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Kamptee HG 1 as scarce, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1831–1836.
- What is the provenance of COV-5383?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 1019 (2025).
- When was COV-5383 posted?
- COV-5383 is dated 1835, within the recorded period of use of Kamptee HG 1 (1831–1836).
About this record
This 1835 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Kamptee HG 1 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Scarce” in this census — one of 3 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions, GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, lot 1019, (2025).