Male' Cover - Trash Or Treasure?

An interesting cover that came in a box of assorted postcards, and bits and bobs - obtained about 2 years ago.

The stamp image is the Hukuru Miskiiy (Old Friday Mosque - built in 1656). Cover marked 'On His Highness's Service' /General Post Office, Male' and franked 19th April 1950 with 1909 stamp values. (No other stamps were produced in the Maldives from 1909 until 1950 when the denomination changed to 'Larees'. 100 Larees = 1 Rupee. Previously 100 cents = 1 Rupee.) Not addresses

Values as 2011 Stanley Gibbons Cat
50 cent Purple - used value UK£24. Watermark appears horizontal
25c Brown - used value UK£20. Watermark appears horizontal
15c Black (looks slightly blue on the cover)used value US$20
10c Green used value UK£00.55
6c Red used value UK£5.50
5c Purple used value UK£00.35
3c Brown used value UK£2.75
2c Grey used value UK£2
1R Blue used value UK£3.25 (Damaged)

Possibly it has some value as a cover considering used stamp values alone add up to around UK£75. ????

Any information and advice would be most welcome



.

treasure or not, that is a great cover.

I've seen a lot of covers like this - and they were all FDCs.

I'm trying to find out the last date those stamps were used in the Maldives.

The stamps were changed sometime in 1950, and although I have emailed a few friends in Male', no one has come back with the answer. Anyone know the exact date of the changeover?

Perhaps it could be a LAST DAY COVER?

.

While it is possible that it is a last day of use of the stamps, it appears to me to be a typical "Philatelic Service" cover. Seems to me an erased address can be seen. It is the usual form of a cover carrying a purchase of stamps from the philatelic section of the Post Office to an overseas customer. These Philatelic Services typically used sets of stamps for postage to provide their customers with used copies -- just part of customer service. Unfortunately, the two right stamps are damaged (the 1R badly). As such, I would not expect to get significantly more than the market value of the used stamps for the cover.

Highness certainly makes an awkward possessive, doesn't it?
Oh well, I guess it could have been plural -- that would have been worse.

It's a cool cover. I would definitely hang on to it, and I don't collect covers...

KirkS

buckacover_roy

Thanks for the info.

I've had a close look with a loop magnifier but I cant see any signs of address removal.