LOT Marudhar Arts  /  Marudhar Arts Auction # 41  / 

9

Extremely Rare Pre Stamp Steam Letter of 1851 from Alexandria to Agra and Shimla with value 1 Rupee

Currency:INR Category:Stamps Start Price:20,000.00 INR Estimated At:20,000.00 - 25,000.00 INR
Extremely Rare Pre Stamp Steam Letter of 1851 from Alexandria to Agra and Shimla with value 1 Rupee
14.75% extra added on Hammer amount as Buyer's Premium + GST (5% GST on Used Stamps, Covers, FDC (H.S.N. 9704) & 12% GST on Unused Stamps, Mint Stamps or New Issue (H.S.N. 4907)

Auction payment time limit is 7 Days from the invoice date of the Auction (including Holidays & Sundays).

Items over 100 years old cannot be taken out of India without the permission of the Director General Archaeological Survey of India.
Pre-Stamp Cover, Steam Letter Folded, 1 Rupee and 8 Annas, 1851, Alexandria to Simla, dispatched as per endorsement in mss "21 Agusto 1851 | Si Pecoplane La | Missione jel Suayab", addressed to “All Illmo Simo Sig. | Monsignor Gaetano Carli | Vescovo di Almira, Vicario Oyosto lico di neli Indie Agra, Orientalio | Simla”, Agra is strikethrough. A black round dispatch seal mentioning “ALEXANDRIA | SP 4 | 1851” is seen. Delivery seal of the four-line rounded square box in black that reads “CALCUTTA | STEAM LETTER | 1851 Oct 1 | Bearing 8As. + 10As. + 6As.” (totaling it to 1 Rupee and 8 Annas), value is hand endorsed in Red ink with interesting calculations of postal charges. Final delivery postmark of rectangular three-line box “AGRA | OCT. 7 1851 | Bearing”, without any value. Calcutta receipt seal is a variant of Giles # Type SR 48 with the 3rd compartment closed and the 4th open. Giles recorded the earliest date 1853 for Type 16 for Agra seal, making the listed date unlisted as per his catalog, superb quality, mint condition, Very Rare.

Note: It is significant to notice the calculation done on this cover for 8 As., and then adding 10 As. to it making it to 1 Rupee and 2 Annas which is handwritten as 1-2. And finally adding 6As. to postage later and making it 1-8-0 (1 Rupee and 8 Annas). 

An important feature of this cover is the calculation made for 8 Annas, and then adding 10 Annas to make it 1 Rupee and 2 Annas, which is handwritten as 1-2. A final 6 Annas of postage were added later, making it 1-8-0 (1 Rupee and 8 Annas) thereafter. Ascertaining the postal route and value for this letter was likely done at multiple stages because the final dispatch seal of Agra carries no value and the Calcutta receipt seal has been calculated multiple times.

The Agra and Simla cities are two separate cities, each located at a distance of 591 kilometers. There is a strikethrough of Agra in the destination address, and Simla is clearly visible on the cover, which does not match the final delivery postmark seal, which includes Agra instead of Simla.
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