Lot 168
1857 (Dec. 1) Troy N.Y. to Saugor, Hindustan (India), blue folded letter bearing 5¢ red brown (12) clear shade, ample to huge margins with portion of adjacent stamp, and 1857 10¢ green type II (32) strip of four, tied by "Troy N.Y. Paid Dec 1 1857" circular datestamps, endorsed "overland via Southampton and Bombay", black "Boston Br. Pkt. 2 Dec" backstamp and red "40" credit handstamp (tying 5¢), red "London Paid DE 15 57" and red "Bombay JA 24 1858" (backstamp) transits, Very Fine, the 45¢ British mail rate via Southampton. Illustrated in Frajola and Mayer, p. 167, fig. 12-2.
Estimate 20,000 - 30,000
THE EARLIEST OF THE THREE RECORDED 1856 5¢ USAGES TO INDIA.
Provenance: Chase, Rust
The three recorded 1856 5¢ covers are all from a single correspondence to Saugor, Hindustan, India, and all correctly prepaid at the 45-cent rate by British mail, via Southampton, which was omitted from the rate table. The route taken was from the United States by steamer to England, then via Southampton, Gibraltar and Malta to Alexandria, Egypt. From there, mail was carried overland utilizing camel caravan for the portion between Cairo and Suez. From Suez, the Peninsular & Oriental Line steamers took the letter to Bombay.
All of these letters to Saugor were handled during the period of the Indian Mutiny of 1856-1859. The entire district in which Saugor was located was in the possession of the rebels, except for the town and fort where the Europeans had retreated to. After an eight-month confinement, they were relieved by Sir Hugh Rose on February 3, 1858. (Robson Lowe Encyclopedia, Asia, page 213, etc.). The first letter of the group of three arrived prior to this date. The rebels in the area were defeated and order was again restored by March 1858.
This letter was exchanged at the Boston office and was directed to the British steamer. Here it received the correct "40" credit handstamp, indicating that the United States was retaining only the 5¢ inland postage, with the balance of 40¢ going to Great Britain. It was carried by the Cunard Line steamer Niagara, which departed from Boston on December 2 and arrived in Liverpool on December 14. The letter traveled next on the Peninsular & Oriental Line steamer Pera, which departed Southampton on December 20 and arrived at Alexandria on January 3, 1858. After an overland trip, the letter reached Suez and was carried from there on the steamer Nubi, which departed January 6 and arrived at Aden on January 12. From Aden the letter was taken by steamer to Bombay and thence to its destination, where it arrived on January 31, 1858.
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| Realized $26,000 |
