Cancellation Assistance Requested - India

Hi guys,

The "T" in this postmark makes me think of postage due. Any ideas?



Wondering if all the writing on the front is just idle doodling or what. These little envelopes sure are cute. This one has a letter inside. A little damaged and not in a language I can read.

Alahabad 1880 Travelling Post Office.

PS: More specific: Type 19, 3 bars above and below letter.

It must have been tough, what took so long Rod...

Rod, you are fantastic! Does the Stanley Gibbons book on India cover these things? Is there another reference you can recommend?

....You guys, sometimes I think I have clicked on
the Comedy Club, not SCF.

Sorry Smauggie, nothing definitive, just random info
from my own queries in the past.
(on the shoulders of others)

You can find a great deal of information on old Indian cancellations in the Robson Lowe Encyclopaedia of British Empire Postage Stamps 1770-1950, Volume III The Empire in Asia, Part II South Central Asia. It may be easier to trace as Volume 39 of Billig's Philatelic Handbook.

Allahabad also had a similar obliterator with an 'A' instead of 'T' for general (non-TPO) use.

The envelope appears to be addressed in Hindi and Urdu/Persian, and then to have been used for some front-of-the-envelope calculations as well.

On (the back of) old Aussie covers, I often find shopping lists.

This one from Bhopal





(SG 48)

is my favourite for weird doodling on a spare envelope.

One wonders what "playing Chasseau" involved.

As M.Z. Khan remarks 'No doubt you can understand it well'

and in doing so created a irritating cryptic message

I read his name as Mr. Z Khan.

When in the Navy, in the officers mess
we often played "Chase the lady"
albeit we had a disgusting name for it.

Chasseau = to hunt (I think)

Mr. Khan was obviously well educated.

"I am sorry Sir Z K's diet, obliges him to remain
a few days more"

I tried Googling the game, but only came up with 'chasse au (tresor)', or treasure hunt. These refined gentlemen might possibly have been playing at competitive treasure hunts ... I suppose.

I'd dearly love to know more of the diet that obliged him to remain a few days more, even though another writer assures us he was to leave 'this tomorrow evening'.

Here, for what it will contribute to the discussion, is the front of the cover:

Thanks Tony!

you guys warm the cockles of my heart with your india posts. it is good to know that I am not alone :)

where do you se ehindi toni its a shame if the script is not textbook I cant read it

then again I cant read what most doctors write anyways even if its in english

I had a moment of weakness and bought a boatload of Indian covers. Thinking of assembling them by town and cancellation, subgrouped by state. They guy I bought them from was in Allahabad, so most of these are from the northern states.

Do post up any that look remotely interesting Smauggie. They're usually fine fodder for a bit of detective work, and you just never do know. I can't promise to help much with Hindi or Urdu unless it's faultlessly printed in strictly Standard language (very rarely the case!), but I'm sure Spock could be cranked up to contribute ...