Scan or Photo Courtesy of Gowtham BJ
Date
9 March 1853
Description
1853 Incoming Soldier's Letter to Subathoo. Folded letter datelined Kirkintilloch (Scotland) Mar. 9, 1853 with Great Britain, 1841, 1p Red Brown on Blue (3; SG 8), large margins to touching, tied by "113" numeral grid, Mar. 11 datestamp on back, addressed to "Private James Cuddie, No. 1 Company, HM 61st Regt., Subatoo, Bengal", manuscript "Soldier's Letter", Glasgow and London transit and Subathoo arrival backstamp (Giles 3), cover with some minor soiling, otherwise Fine and scarce incoming cover, the 61st Regiment arrived in India in 1845 and was stationed there through 1859, they assisted in suppressing the Indian Mutiny
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History & Stamps Used Abroad, Part 1, Lot 267, (5/11/2023)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Sobathoo
6 marks6 other pre-1854 postal markings of Sobathoo are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Sobathoo pre stamp cover
COV-4854 is a Sobathoo pre stamp cover of 9 March 1853 bearing the Sobathoo HG 3 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Sobathoo postal history — the office known today as Subathu, Punjab. What is a pre stamp cover?
1853 Incoming Soldier's Letter to Subathoo. Folded letter datelined Kirkintilloch (Scotland) Mar. 9, 1853 with Great Britain, 1841, 1p Red Brown on Blue (3; SG 8), large margins to touching, tied by "113" numeral grid, Mar. 11 datestamp on back, addressed to "Private James Cuddie, No. 1 Company, HM 61st Regt., Subatoo, Bengal", manuscript "Soldier's Letter", Glasgow and London transit and Subathoo arrival backstamp (Giles 3), cover with some minor soiling, otherwise Fine and scarce incoming cover, the 61st Regiment arrived in India in 1845 and was stationed there through 1859, they assisted in suppressing the Indian Mutiny
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History & Stamps Used Abroad, Part 1 lot 267 (5/11/2023).
3 images of COV-4854 are recorded (front, back); the Sobathoo HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1853.
Questions about COV-4854
- What is COV-4854?
- COV-4854 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Sobathoo, Punjab of 9 March 1853, bearing the Sobathoo HG 3 handstamp in red. 1853 Incoming Soldier's Letter to Subathoo. Folded letter datelined Kirkintilloch (Scotland) Mar. 9, 1853 with Great Britain, 1841, 1p Red Brown on Blue (3; SG 8), large margins to touching, tied by "113" numeral grid, Mar. 11 datestamp on back, addressed to "Private James Cuddie, No. 1 Company, HM 61st Regt., Subatoo, Bengal", manuscript "Soldier's Letter", Glasgow and London transit and Subathoo arrival backstamp (Giles 3), cover with some minor soiling, otherwise Fine and scarce incoming cover, the 61st Regiment arrived in India in 1845 and was stationed there through 1859, they assisted in suppressing the Indian Mutiny
- How scarce is the Sobathoo HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Sobathoo HG 3 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1853.
- What is the provenance of COV-4854?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History & Stamps Used Abroad, Part 1 lot 267 (5/11/2023).
- When was COV-4854 posted?
- COV-4854 is dated 9 March 1853, within the recorded period of use of Sobathoo HG 3 (1853).
About this record
This 9 March 1853 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Sobathoo HG 3 handstamp of the Punjab, a mark graded “Rare” 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 Postal History & Stamps Used Abroad, Part 1, lot 267, (5/11/2023).