Scan or Photo Courtesy of David Feldman Auctions
Date
17 May 1852
Description
A folded local letter. The contents, one would suspect, from the wife of Major John Clarke, who is up in the hills, Simla, for the hot weather giving all the local news. The letter is dated 17th May 1832. It bears the handstamp for Simla but is not described by Hammond Giles. It is similar to type 7 but the lettering is taller and there is clearly a slug for the date which does not appear in HG’s detail. The letter was sent to Goojranwala, a district approximately 80Km North of Lahore, in the Punjab. There is no receipt post office.
Auction
Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, Lot 50707, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Simla
9 marks9 other pre-1854 postal markings of Simla are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Simla HG 1handstampBlack1832
- Simla HG 2handstampBlack1835-36
- Simla HG 3handstampRed1838-45
- Simla HG 4handstampBlack1849–1852
- Simla HG 5handstampRed1845–1850
- Simla HG 6handstampRed1845–1852
+3 more at this office.View all Simla marks and postal history →
About this Simla pre stamp cover
COV-5012 is a Simla pre stamp cover of 17 May 1852 bearing the Simla HG 7 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Simla postal history — the office known today as Shimla, Punjab. What is a pre stamp cover?
A folded local letter. The contents, one would suspect, from the wife of Major John Clarke, who is up in the hills, Simla, for the hot weather giving all the local news. The letter is dated 17th May 1832. It bears the handstamp for Simla but is not described by Hammond Giles. It is similar to type 7 but the lettering is taller and there is clearly a slug for the date which does not appear in HG’s detail. The letter was sent to Goojranwala, a district approximately 80Km North of Lahore, in the Punjab. There is no receipt post office.
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
1 image of COV-5012 is recorded (front); the Simla HG 7 mark itself is recorded in use 1849–1854.
Questions about COV-5012
- What is COV-5012?
- COV-5012 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Simla, Punjab of 17 May 1852, bearing the Simla HG 7 handstamp in black. A folded local letter. The contents, one would suspect, from the wife of Major John Clarke, who is up in the hills, Simla, for the hot weather giving all the local news. The letter is dated 17th May 1832. It bears the handstamp for Simla but is not described by Hammond Giles. It is similar to type 7 but the lettering is taller and there is clearly a slug for the date which does not appear in HG’s detail. The letter was sent to Goojranwala, a district approximately 80Km North of Lahore, in the Punjab. There is no receipt post office.
- How scarce is the Simla HG 7 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Simla HG 7 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1849–1854.
- What is the provenance of COV-5012?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
- When was COV-5012 posted?
- COV-5012 is dated 17 May 1852, within the recorded period of use of Simla HG 7 (1849–1854).
About this record
This 17 May 1852 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Simla HG 7 handstamp of the Punjab, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 7 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, lot 50707, (2025).