386th Auction

1854, 1st printing, 4 a. blue and red, horizontal pair, nice fresh colour and full to large  margins, used with diamond of bars and faint adjacent Bombay c.d.s. to reverse of small envelope with frontside boxed "INDIA PAID", to Cairo, Egypt. Very fine. Pairs of the 1st printing on entire are extremely rare, in combination with the exotic destination a great rarity. Signed Enzo Diena with certificate (1983)

3rd printing, 4 a. blue and red, Head Die III, Frame Die I, horizontal pair, nice fresh colour and ample to good margins, tied by diamond of dots and partly red boxed "INDIA" and red French transit mark to part paid lettersheet with part of contents, to Bordeaux, taxed upon arrival with "20" decimes for the postage Alexandria – France. Very fine. Entires with pairs of the 3rd printing are great rarities. Certificate Heddergott BPP (1993)

3rd printing, head die II and frame die I, 4 a. blue and red, touched at top, otherwise ample to good margins, large at right with part of wavy line, showing part of central watermark, cancelled by diamond of dots. Fine and scarce.

Head Die III and frame Die II, 4 a. blue and red, nice fresh colour and large even margins, neatly cancelled by central diamond of dots. Extremely fine. Several signatures, certificate Heddergott BPP (1992)

 

Head Die III and frame Die II, 4 a. blue and red in horizontal pair, nice fresh colour and good to large  even margins, lightly cancelled by diamond of dots. Very fine and scarce. Certificate Heddergott BPP (1992)

 

4th printing, 4 a. blue and red in horizontal pair, nice fresh colour and full to large  margins, tied by diamond of dots to letter sheet endorsed "via Trieste", to Genova, Italy, with frontside transit mark "D.A.a.L" and tax mark "10" (decimes) for the postage from Alexandria to Italy. Very fine and fresh. A very attractive and rare entire. Certificate Heddergott BPP (1993)
 

5th printing, head die III and frame die II, 4 a. blue and red, ample to good margins, showing part of neighbours stamp at right, cancelled by dotted "C 111" PONDICHERRY. Fine.

2 a. green, block of four from the upper right sheet corner with marginal inscription "STAMPS" and frame lines, nice fresh colour and good to large margins, unused. Very faint crease between the horizontal pairs and tiny stain at central base, still very fine and fresh. A rare and most attractive block.

2 a. green, horizontal strip of 5, showing large part of the central watermark design, nice colour and good to large margins, each stamp with clear diamond of dots. A very fine and rare strip. Signed Heddergott BPP with certificate (1992)

2 a. green, horizontal strip of 4, nice deep colour and good to large margins, neatly cancelled by octagonal "B1", very fine

2 a. green, horizontal pair, nice colour and good to large margins, showing full sheet margin at left, tied by numeral "85" to cover with reverse side boxed "BELGAUN Paid" of April 1858, to Annan, England, with arrival mark of May 26. An outstanding entire. Signed Giulio Bolaffi.

2 a. green, horizontal strip of 4, nice colour and good to large margins, tied by diamond of dots to part paid lettersheet from Calcutta to Bordeaux with frontside red "INDIA PAID", text upon arrival for the distance from Alexandria to France. Some rust spots, mostly only affecting reverse and inside of the entire. A fine and rare entire.

1856/64, 1 a, brown and 4 a. black, several copies on 3 covers from the same correspondance, from Calcutta via Southhampton resp. Marseille to Ipswich, all with different rates.

1868, Die II, 8 a. rose, horizontal strip of 4 and ½ a. blue, tied by Tellichery c.d.s. and blue “VIA BOMBAY & BRINDISI”, to envelope to Paris.

1902/11, Edward 3 p. – 25 r., complete including some shades, unused with original gum, some mnh

Edward 25 r. brown orange and blue, fresh colour, unused with o.g., very fine

1948, Gandhi 1½ r. , 8 copies, tied to reverse of commercial air mail cover from Calcutta to London       

1992, Bird of Prey 100r. instead of 200r. and wrong nomenclature "Shahin Kohila" instead of "Macchhlimar", mint never hinged, very fine and rare

“FIRST AERIAL POST U.P. EXHIBITION ALLAHABAD 1911”, good strike in magenta on Edward ½ a. green on local envelope with despatch and arrival mark on reverse, the stamp small imperfections, the envelope few faults, yet and attractive and scarce entire, certificate RPSL (2023)

“FIRST AERIAL POST U.P. EXHIBITION ALLAHABAD 1911”, good strike in magenta on Edward ½ a. green on envelope to Bombay with “ALLAHABAD 18 FE 11” despatch and Bombay arrival on reverse, the latter one enhanced, small tear in the backflap closed with scotch tape, minor toning, otherwise fine and scarce, certificate RPSL (2023)

"FORWARDED BY / GILLANDERS / ARBUTHNOT & Co. / CALCUTTA" , blue handstamp on lettersheet to France with blue "CALCUTTA INDIA UNPAID SE 3 72" on reverse; adjacent blue accountancy mark "GB 1F.66c."

1940, Official envelope "INDIAN POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS DEPARTMENT", sent as registered airmail cover from "BAHRAIN 26 FEB. 40" (on reverse) and register label "BAHRAIN" to England; the envelope with small imperfections. A very rare item, one of 2 registered post department covers recorded

1947, British India postcard HALF ANNA on 9 p. green, overprinted "BAHRAIN" with additional franking 1942/45, 3 p. in horizontal pair, making the correct 1 a. rate, tied by cds. "BAHRAIN 5 OCT. 47", sent to Veraval, India with arrival mark on front partly tying the addtional franking. A very rare item of Bahrain postal history; this is the only recorded example of the Indian provisional postcard overprinted "BAHRAIN"

3 p. (6) and ½ a. (4) tied to reverse of small envelope endorsed "OVERLAND MAIL" to Germany, adjacent double circle "BY AIR" cancelled by pen strokes

1933, George V 3 p., ½ a. (2), 9 p., 1 a. and 2 a. used on cover from "BAHRAIN 6 MAY 34" to England, endorsed in red ink "By overland mail "Bagdad-Haifa"", Basrah transit mark on reverse, very fine

1934/37, 2 a. vermilion and 3 a. carmine, tied cds. "BAHRAIN 21 MAR 36" to cover with violet "OVERLAND" to England with Basrah transit mark on reverse

2 a. vermilion, small die, horizontal pair with George VI 1a., tied by light Bahrain cds. to small envelope with adjacent "OVERLAND MAIL" to England with transit mark "BASRA 9 MAR 40"

1910, British India Edward 3 p. grey, 10 copies in multiples tied by cds. "BAHRAIN 31 DE 10" to reverse of commercial cover to Bombay with arrival mark; the envelope somewhat reduced in size at both sides and showing slight faults; a scarce franking

INCOMING MAIL: 1899, Newspaper wrapper 3 on 4 c. on 5 c. from "MAURITIUS DE 1 99" to Bahrain with transit mark of Bombay and arrival mark of December 31. A very rare and early item of incoming mail

Postal order George VI 1/- with overprint "B.P.O. AGENCIES PERSIAN GULF 2 ANNAS" with small "BAHRAIN 16 JU 50" ; creased and slight marginal faults. This is the only recorded George VI postal order from the Persian Gulf agencies

1854, 1 a. deep red (worn plate), imperforate cut-to-shape on two sides clear tied by "B/5" numeral obliterator of East India post office in AKYAB Burma to entire letter 1857 to Bordeaux. Struck in error initially with framed "India Paid" in red and altered with framed "India Unpaid" when clerk noticed cover was addressed to France. On top ms. “Via Suez & Marseille”, alongside later added “Pr. Cape of Good Hope”, "PAIS ETR. V. SUEZ AMB. 12 SEPT 1857" cds in red alongside. Reverse with Akyab c.d.s. in black (Jul 28), Calcutta c.d.s. in red (Aug 4), thence carried by French Ship and charged due on receipt with "8" decime charge, tiny shortened at bottom, part of flap missing, otherwise fine. Bordeaux arrival c.d.s. (Sep 18). A delightful and rare postal history cover

SINGAPORE: 1859, double rate entire letter, dated inside "Bangkok den 28. März 1859", showing on front red oval forwarding agent mark "PICKENPACK, THIES & Co. BANGKOK SIAM" and on reverse "BEHN, MEYER & Co. SINGAPORE". In Singapore correctly franked for the conveyance to Alexandria with 2 copies India 1856/64, 8 annas carmine, tied by somewhat indistinct "B172" of Singapore with matching red dispatch mark on reverse. The prepaid amount corresponding to "2/-" noted on front in red crayon, crossed out, and "40" kreuzer due (consisting of 22 kreuzer sea postage from Alexandria to Trieste and 18 kreuzer German postal union postage), which was to be paid by the recipient. One stamp some minor creasing without any importance. A very fine and rare early letter from Thailand to Europe. Certificate BPA (2023) stating an incorrect franking, which is nonsense.

1877, ¼ a. ultramarine, 14 copies (some with small faults), tied by square handstamp to reverse of registered native envelope.

1879, handstamped ½ a. carmine on thick horizontally laid paper, used with pearled quatrefoil handstamp in black on small native cover. Very fine and rare.

1896/1900, pin perf., 1877, ¼ a. slate-violet, tied by c.d.s. "ROHRU 10.OC.99" two reverse of small envelope (one corner clipped) to Rampur. Fine and very scarce.

1916, 2 a. brown and 1920, perf. 7, ½ a. dull red, three copies, all cut by scissors, tied by c.d.s. "DUTTIAH 27...20" two registered envelope. A fine and very scarce entire. Signed Holcombe.