Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
14 April 1845
Description
India, Kussowlee, 1845, "KUSSOWLEE/FREE" Oval Handstamp (Giles 4, 2000 Supplement). Faint but legible strike with manuscript "14 April" date marking on 1845 military concessionary rate cover to London, England, with "From Henry Cox P Sergy HMS 9th Regt of Foot N 37" endorsement and properly signed by commanding officer "John McCaskill", red "INDIA" oval handstamp, red London (Jun. 9) arrival datestamps, "2" rate handstamp, minor edge tear at bottom, Fine, the counter signatory Commanding Major General John McCaskill was killed just months later in December 1845 during the Battle of Mudki (First Anglo-Sikh War)
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Stampless Postal History, Part 4, Lot 10169, (03/13/2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Kussowlee
6 marks6 other pre-1854 postal markings of Kussowlee are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Kussowlee pre stamp cover
COV-2917 is a Kussowlee pre stamp cover of 14 April 1845 bearing the Kussowlee HG 4 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Kussowlee postal history — the office known today as Kasauli, Punjab. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Kussowlee, 1845, "KUSSOWLEE/FREE" Oval Handstamp (Giles 4, 2000 Supplement). Faint but legible strike with manuscript "14 April" date marking on 1845 military concessionary rate cover to London, England, with "From Henry Cox P Sergy HMS 9th Regt of Foot N 37" endorsement and properly signed by commanding officer "John McCaskill", red "INDIA" oval handstamp, red London (Jun. 9) arrival datestamps, "2" rate handstamp, minor edge tear at bottom, Fine, the counter signatory Commanding Major General John McCaskill was killed just months later in December 1845 during the Battle of Mudki (First Anglo-Sikh War)
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Stampless Postal History, Part 4 lot 10169 (03/13/2025).
2 images of COV-2917 are recorded (front, back); the Kussowlee HG 4 mark itself is recorded in use 1845–1849.
Questions about COV-2917
- What is COV-2917?
- COV-2917 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Kussowlee, Punjab of 14 April 1845, bearing the Kussowlee HG 4 handstamp in red. India, Kussowlee, 1845, "KUSSOWLEE/FREE" Oval Handstamp (Giles 4, 2000 Supplement). Faint but legible strike with manuscript "14 April" date marking on 1845 military concessionary rate cover to London, England, with "From Henry Cox P Sergy HMS 9th Regt of Foot N 37" endorsement and properly signed by commanding officer "John McCaskill", red "INDIA" oval handstamp, red London (Jun. 9) arrival datestamps, "2" rate handstamp, minor edge tear at bottom, Fine, the counter signatory Commanding Major General John McCaskill was killed just months later in December 1845 during the Battle of Mudki (First Anglo-Sikh War)
- How scarce is the Kussowlee HG 4 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Kussowlee HG 4 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1845–1849.
- What is the provenance of COV-2917?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Stampless Postal History, Part 4 lot 10169 (03/13/2025).
- When was COV-2917 posted?
- COV-2917 is dated 14 April 1845, within the recorded period of use of Kussowlee HG 4 (1845–1849).
About this record
This 14 April 1845 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Kussowlee HG 4 handstamp of the Punjab, a mark graded “Common” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Stampless Postal History, Part 4, lot 10169, (03/13/2025).