India : Theft Prevention.

A curious occurence, and one which the lines of "theft prevention"
has highlighted what seems to me to be a bad case of "cover blindness"

This (extremely rare) (India used abroad) cover is advertised at $1,850 and as "a few minor faults"

Have a look at the theft prevention lines on the left.
Does that look like a missing stamp to you?

Where is Basawal? I can't find much in Google

Basawal is here

http://weather.yahoo.com/india/hary...al-29194387/

nice weather today over there!

Sure looks like a missing stamp to me what with the missing part of the squared cancel in that area.

Are you saying that the pen squiggles in that area on the left of the last stamp are put under every stamp so that the Post Office or sender (Or receiver!) would know if a stamp had been lifted off of the cover in transit?

Holy Cow indeed!
First I've seen / read of this. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

But it is used abroad???? How is that if Basawal is IN India?

well done BC

Puzzler, the "theft prevention" strokes are placed
on top of the stamp and across to the cover,
so that the stamp is "tied" to the cover.
(so the postal clerk taking the letter to the postbox cannot nick it
witthout having a stamp that is marked)


You can see the strokes end abruptly suggesting the stamp has disappeared
and as pointed out part of the cancellation is missing

The vendor had it as Afghanistan, well spotted BeeSee
I'll have to check

explanation:

$1850 ?????

Here's a photo of the caves at Basawal, Afghanistan taken in 1878:

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onli...0066000.html

I think Mr Flack is reaching a bit here. Robson Lowe only records FPO and various spellings of Kandahar CDSs from the Second Afghan War. It's a bit of a stretch to believe that a CDS was prepared for Basawal (alone of all other outposts in Afghanistan) and was dispatched to reach it in April '79, when the War began in November the previous year.

Sydney to a brick this is the Indian Basawal.

Your depth of knowledge astounds me, Tony.
I'll have to do some more research,
esp the Afghans war, curiously enough I am presently
reading a chapter that concerns the British fear
of the Russians with their interest in India
in my short history of India.
Not sure if that and this is connected.

That is a dicky cover all round.
Whomsoever is going to entertain $1,850
is certainly going to investigate this cover with more depth.

Well, Rodney, I have the great advantage of having read Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar KP VC etc Forty-one Years in India. A ripping yarn, and well worth seeking out in your friendly neighbourhood secondhand bookshop. Recommended reading for anyone interested in the current Afghan War as well, since he led the British forces in the 1878-81 stoush.

I'm a little surprised Flack was taken in by that cover, I must say. A $5 job, on a good day, in my book.

Just occurred to me to look at the back of the cover. Seven days from Basawal to Outward Bombay? From a war zone, deep in Afghanistan? Pull the other one, it's got bells on.