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VERY FINE. A COLORFUL FOUR-COLOR 1861 ISSUE FRANKING AND UNUSUAL COVER FROM THE GODDARD CORRESPONDENCE TO INDIA -- ORIGINALLY STAMPED WITH JUST THE 5-CENT BUFF TO GO BY BRITISH PACKET. THE ADDITIONAL 16-CENTS POSTAGE WAS ADDED TO MAKE UP THE 21-CENT RATE BY AMERICAN PACKET.
The black Boston American Packet marking on back indicates that this was marked by the Boston office as completely unpaid, since it would have been short paid with only the 5c postage (the routing instruction doesn't specify British Mail). Somehow the sender was given the option to add postage so that it would be fully prepaid by American Packet. Had the correct postage been present at the beginning, the Boston marking would have been struck in red. (Image)
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VERY FINE. A RARE COVER TO INDIA SENT VIA PRUSSIAN CLOSED MAIL WITH 1861 ISSUE STAMPS PAYING THE DOUBLE 36-CENT RATE.
The majority of mail sent from the U.S. to India during this time period was addressed to either major port cities, such as Bombay, or centers of commerce, such as Calcutta. Surviving covers also come from large correspondences, such as that to Rev. Bissell in Ahmednuggur. The most common way for mail to be carried was by British Mail or via England. The rate via Southampton was 33c and paid postage all the way to the destination. Alternatively, 5c could be prepaid to place a letter on an outbound ship, and the balance would be collected from the recipient. A third frequently-used method was to pay the 21c rate to England by American Packet, and the rest would be collected from the recipient (see lot 2251). One of the rarest mail routes to India was via Prussian Closed Mail, as demonstrated by this cover.
The sender's directive on this cover specified that it should go via Southampton. A postal clerk noted that the weight exceeded -1/2 oz., and changed the instructions so that it would be sent by Prussian Closed Mail. It is unclear when the 72c postage was applied, since it corresponds to the double 36c Prussian Closed Mail rate, but not the single or double rate via Southampton. (Image)
VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE MULTIPLE FRANKING FOR THE TRIPLE 28-CENT RATE TO INDIA BY BRITISH MAIL VIA SOUTHAMPTON.
Ahmednuggur is approximately 250 miles from Bombay (Image)
VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED USE OF THE 90-CENT 1861 ISSUE ON A COVER TO INDIA. THIS IS ALSO THE EARLIEST RECORDED COVER FROM THE BISSELL CORRESPONDENCE AND THE HIGHEST-VALUE FRANKING ($1.12) OF ANY BISSELL COVER. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VOGEL COLLECTION.
The Bissell correspondence is described in great detail in the 1953 American Philatelic Congress book. Reverend Lemuel Bissell arrived in India in 1851 and was based in Sirur. He moved to Ahmednuggur in 1861 and in 1865 became the missionary secretary. The Bissell correspondence covers the period from early 1868 to late 1875. Virtually all Bissell covers were sent from the Board of Foreign Missions of the Congregational Christian Church in Boston. The correspondence probably comes from Reverend Bissell's time as mission secretary, and the multiple rates were necessitated by the inclusion of lengthy letters and remittances in the pre-addressed envelopes. The franking on the cover offered here pays the quadruple 28c rate to India by British Mail via Southampton.
This is the only recorded use of the 90c 1861 Issue on a cover to India from any correspondence. A census of 90c 1861-68 covers by Herzog and Starnes in the Chronicle 140 (November 1988) confirms this statement.
Illustrated in 1953 American Philatelic Congress book (page 65). (Image)