Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
August 1836
Description
PERSIA/MERUT/BOMBAY - “PER HUGH LINDSAY STEAMER VIA BOMBAY” COVER - VIA PERSIAN GULF ROUTE - WITH RARE RED “INDIA/Packet Letter/PAID” IN CIRCLE; 27/29 Aug. 1836 EL (internal stains) from “Merut” to London endorsed “Per Hugh Lindsay Steamer via Bombay” with a very fine oval-framed “MERUT/Pt. Pd.” on the top flap and having a mainly fine rare red encircled Bombay “INDIA/Packet Letter/PAID” across the join on the reverse; charged “3/6”(?) with a fair 6 Feb. 1837 “LONDON” (Foreign Branch) arrival backstamp. The dates of this cover fit the Hugh Lindsay’s voyage from Bombay via the Persian Gulf to Basra, where the mails were taken part way by Col. Chesney and then returned to the more normal overland Suez route due to the failure of Chesney’s river steamer. Fine example of a letter carried via the Persian Gulf route by this small Pioneer Red Sea steamer and then sent via Egypt and the Mediterranean. Exhibition item. [The similar cover from this voyage in Cavendish’s Nov. 2004 Auction, lot 460, realised £4,370.] PHOTO - see next page
Auction
Manning, Lot 153, (Sept. 2015)
Provenance
Michael Manning
Same office
Other recorded marks at Merut
17 marks17 other pre-1854 postal markings of Merut are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Merut HG 1handstampBlack1809–1827
- Merut HG 1AhandstampRed1827
- Merut HG 2handstampRed1814–1828
- Merut HG 3AhandstampBlack1827–1832
- Merut HG 4handstampBlack1835–1837
- Merut HG 5handstampRed1837–1845
+11 more at this office.View all Merut marks and postal history →
About this Merut pre stamp cover
COV-2341 is a Merut pre stamp cover of August 1836 bearing the Merut HG 3 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Merut postal history — the office known today as Meerut, North Western Provinces. What is a pre stamp cover?
PERSIA/MERUT/BOMBAY - “PER HUGH LINDSAY STEAMER VIA BOMBAY” COVER - VIA PERSIAN GULF ROUTE - WITH RARE RED “INDIA/Packet Letter/PAID” IN CIRCLE; 27/29 Aug. 1836 EL (internal stains) from “Merut” to London endorsed “Per Hugh Lindsay Steamer via Bombay” with a very fine oval-framed “MERUT/Pt. Pd.” on the top flap and having a mainly fine rare red encircled Bombay “INDIA/Packet Letter/PAID” across the join on the reverse; charged “3/6”(?) with a fair 6 Feb. 1837 “LONDON” (Foreign Branch) arrival backstamp. The dates of this cover fit the Hugh Lindsay’s voyage from Bombay via the Persian Gulf to Basra, where the mails were taken part way by Col. Chesney and then returned to the more normal overland Suez route due to the failure of Chesney’s river steamer. Fine example of a letter carried via the Persian Gulf route by this small Pioneer Red Sea steamer and then sent via Egypt and the Mediterranean. Exhibition item. [The similar cover from this voyage in Cavendish’s Nov. 2004 Auction, lot 460, realised £4,370.] PHOTO - see next page
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 153 (Sept. 2015).
2 images of COV-2341 are recorded (front); the Merut HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1831–1837.
Questions about COV-2341
- What is COV-2341?
- COV-2341 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Merut, North Western Provinces of August 1836, bearing the Merut HG 3 handstamp in black. PERSIA/MERUT/BOMBAY - “PER HUGH LINDSAY STEAMER VIA BOMBAY” COVER - VIA PERSIAN GULF ROUTE - WITH RARE RED “INDIA/Packet Letter/PAID” IN CIRCLE; 27/29 Aug. 1836 EL (internal stains) from “Merut” to London endorsed “Per Hugh Lindsay Steamer via Bombay” with a very fine oval-framed “MERUT/Pt. Pd.” on the top flap and having a mainly fine rare red encircled Bombay “INDIA/Packet Letter/PAID” across the join on the reverse; charged “3/6”(?) with a fair 6 Feb. 1837 “LONDON” (Foreign Branch) arrival backstamp. The dates of this cover fit the Hugh Lindsay’s voyage from Bombay via the Persian Gulf to Basra, where the mails were taken part way by Col. Chesney and then returned to the more normal overland Suez route due to the failure of Chesney’s river steamer. Fine example of a letter carried via the Persian Gulf route by this small Pioneer Red Sea steamer and then sent via Egypt and the Mediterranean. Exhibition item. [The similar cover from this voyage in Cavendish’s Nov. 2004 Auction, lot 460, realised £4,370.] PHOTO - see next page
- How scarce is the Merut HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Merut HG 3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1831–1837.
- What is the provenance of COV-2341?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 153 (Sept. 2015).
- When was COV-2341 posted?
- COV-2341 is dated August 1836, within the recorded period of use of Merut HG 3 (1831–1837).
About this record
This August 1836 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Merut HG 3 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 17 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, Manning, lot 153, (Sept. 2015).