About
the “POSTAL SEAL's of KATHMANDU G.P.O.”
Reading
the older topic: "Classic Cover with Nepal Chitwan Postmark -
posted by RAINER, 2012" I noted that a question posed by a user
regarding the period of use of the Postal Seal of Kathmandu
G.P.O. (Hellrigl S3) has remained unanswered. Not being sure
if the question is still of interest and if the relative and very
illuminating article written in the 80's by Dr. Wolfgang C. Hellrigl
in German language is familiar to everyone, nonetheless I would try
to answer even at the risk of doing something of unnecessary.
The
mentioned article has been published in "Indien Report Nr.26",
the periodical of the German philatelic association
"Forschungsgemeinschaft Indien e.V.". Copyright
compliance not allow to translate the excellent article in full size
and so I will only summarize the main statements: Dr. Hellrigl
reports (referring to the date of the publication of the article)
that, besides the just well-known circumstances of use of the seal
for certificates of posting, he has even knowledge of the existence
of two cases of true postally use on cover The two covers are both
dated 1891, but whereas one is philatelically inspired (franking
with all values of the stamp issue - short address - but regular
arrival datestamp of Kathmandu), the other cover is a genuine
commercially usage.
After
providing the transcript of the inscriptions of the seal: "NEPAL
/ HULAK GHAR /35" (= Nepal / Post Office /35), he specifies that
the number "35" is to be understood as an indication of the
year B.S.1935 and corresponding at the opening date of the Post Office in Kathmandu (A.D. 1879).
Finally,
Dr. Hellrigl says he has identified three subtypes of the seal
and provides the following information:
S3(a): with an outer circle - recorded use: 1879? - 1891.
S3(b): absence of the outer circle - recorded use: 1894.
S3(c): no outer circle and error in the inscription ("HOLAK"
instead of "HULAK") - recorded use: 1917.
Unfortunately
the article is not accompanied by photos or drawings of the subtypes.
Anyway, the subtype S3(a) corresponds to the drawing of the seal “S3”
already
illustrated by Dr. Hellrigl
in his "Catalogue of Nepalese Postmarks". For the subtype
S3(b) reference may be made to the cover that I have recently
discussed in my other topic:"ABOUT THE POSTAL AGREEMENT OF 1919"
and to facilitate the reading I will picture here again:
S3(b) - This
letter appeared a few days ago on Ebay and raises the number of
existing genuine usages on cover at two examplares, at least as far as
the writer knows.
--- * ---
For
the subtype S3(c) I can illustrate a page from the Registered Letter
Log of the Kathmandu G.P.O. This item was kindly ceded to me by our
forum member Ed Gosnell:
S3(c) - Kathmandu
Registered Letter Log referring to the period: B.S. 71 / 2 / 20-24 (=
A.D. 1914); ex collection Ed Gosnell.
*
* *
A
few decades after the drafting of the article, Dr.Hellrigl discovered a further type of seal in use at the Kathmandu G.P.O. and he has
named it: "Large Postal Seal of Kathamndu G.P.O."
He kindly ceded me one of exemplares that I shown below together with
the description drafted by Wolfgang:
Translation
of the description: “Large Postal Seal of Kathmandu on a long
note (probably an acknowledgment), 1907. This Seal is rarer than the
former little Postal Seal's of Kathmandu.”
--- * ---
Enlarging
the seal and looking accurately I think I can read the following
inscription: "SRI / NEPAL GOSWARA / HULAK GHAR / ??" (= SRI
/ Nepal General Post Office / Post Office / ??).
*
* *
At
conclusion I want to address an appeal to the members of the forum:
The periods of use initially recorded by Dr.Hellrigl have in the
course of time certainly experienced alterations and therefore I
would like to ask the collectors who have items to consider the the
kindness to publish dates of use until now not recorded.
----------------------------------------------------
Herbert
Mailänder
|