Prestamp OHMS entires or outers to Kandy (mostly) or Jaffna including 1817 endorsed "Colombo Catchery" or "Kurnegale" both without postal markings, 'KURUNAGALA' & 'POST FREE' backstamps on undated part-entire, five 1820s items with poor to fair Free d/s of Colombo, very fine 'PUSILAWE/=POST ("12 Feby 55/Free")' b/s, 1847 with very fine 35mm 'COLOMBO=STEAMER-LETTER=' b/s, 1849 with 'KANDY/=SHIP-LETTER=' b/s, etc; plus 1880s stampless group with 'COLOMBO/FREE' cds, three with 'JAFFNAKACHCHERI/FREE' b/s, various official cachets within including superb 'PROVINCIAL ROAD COMMITTEE/21JAN/1889/JAFFNA' cds in red; condition variable including some aging/dessication but all presentable to fine. (22)

Estimate AU$750

1817 fragile OHMS outer endorsed "Catcherry Trincomale/the Twenty seventh May 1817" to Kandy with very fine straight-line 'FREE' (Oxley Type 2pf; unrecorded by Proud).

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

1817 straight-line 'COLOMBO' (Oxley Type 2; Proud #PS1 - recorded 20.8.1815 to 3.8.1816 only) in red over straight-line 'FREE' (Oxley Type 2pf; Proud #OPD2 - recorded 3.8.1816 only) in black, fine clear strikes on OHMS entire endorsed "Colombo fourteenth Jany 1817", to "Revenue Agent/Kandy", trivial aging. Very early & very desirable. [Ted Proud had no example of either postmark in his collection. The earliest of three similar items from this source. The others sold at our auction of 24.11.2018 for $874 & $1223]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1823 OHMS outer to Kandy with a largely fine strike of the octagonal '[crown]/COLOMBO/POST FREE/ 10DE10/1823' (Oxley unrecorded; Proud #OPD4 - ERD by 3½ years), trivial aging. [Absent from Ted Proud's collection]

The addressee, Sir John D'Oyly, was a key British administrator in Ceylon. Fluent in Sinhala, in 1815, he conspired with disaffected Kandyan chiefs to overthrow the king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. In 1821, D'Oyly was granted the title 1st Baronet of Kandy. [The illustration is above Lot 765]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

1824 (July 27) OHMS outer to Kandy with superb & earliest recorded strikes of the rare straight-line 'KURUNAGALA' (Oxley Type 2; Proud #PS1) over straight-line 'POST FREE' (Oxley as Type 2pp; Proud #OPD1 - recorded 19.7.1825-27.2.1827 only), trivial aging. Spectacular! [The illustration is above Lot 765]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1825 OHMS outer to "Revenue Commissioners/Kandy" with octagonal '[crown]/COLOMBO/POST FREE/15FE15/ 1825' (Oxley unrecorded; Proud #OPD4) light but obvious strike, a bit aged.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1825 (Mar 5) entire to Lt Colonel Henry Hardy from his agent in London with very fine large-part strike of the large double-oval 'POST PAID SHIP LR/[crown]/5MR5/1825/LONDON' d/s in red.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

1831 largely printed entire with a largely fine strike of the rare second type '[crown]/COLOMBO/POST FREE/ 17JAN17/1831' d/s (Oxley unrecorded; Proud #OPD5 First State; recorded 3.8.1830 only), minor defects.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1832 OHMS entire to Kandy with partial straight-line 'RAT[NAPOO]RA' & superb straight-line 'FREE' h/s (both unrecorded by both Oxley and Proud), minor aging. [Ted Proud states Ratnapura opened only in 1861, while Geoff Oxley's ERD for any Ratnapura marking is 1858. Here is proof that there was a post office at Ratnapura as early as 1832. [Four similar items were discovered only a few years ago]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$400