Lot# 1148 - Auction 309-320
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Lot# : 1148 India
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Feudatory States, Poonch 1877 (Sept. 19): India ½ a. blue stationary envelope from Poonch via Kahuta and Rawalpindi to Amritsar, the indicium cancelled "L-6/7" in square of bars at the Imperial post office and showing on reverse a near perfect strike of the 30 mm circular intaglio seal handstamp with four lines Dogri script "By the grace of Shri Ragunath. Seal of the Poonch State Post Office. Samvat 1933" and in the lower half the same phrase in Persian, also KAHUTA (Sept 23), RAWALPINDI (Sept 24), and "AMRITSAR DELIVERY" (Sept 26) cds's. The envelope with few minor stains, primarily around the indicium, though not unattractive and the earliest recorded example of Poonch's Postal History and the only Poonch pre-stamp cover. rnrnNote: This four-line seal was used to endorse outgoing mail until at least 1880. It was used to obliterate the early stamps of Poonch until June 1887. A manuscript date on the front shows that this cover was posted on 5 Assu S. 1934, corresponding to 19 September 1877, and thus predates the earliest recorded use of Poonch's stamps by 10 months.rnReference: Displayed as figure 2 and described in detail in the article "Punch: The Postal History" by Anthony S. Bard in London Philatelist 1270 (Nov. 1999), pp. 295-304.rnProvenance: Collections Sir David Masson; H.D.S. Haverbeck (1973); H. Garratt-Adams; and A. S. Bard.Starting bid : 2,000 CHFHammer price : not sold -
