Bhubaneswar: Two postal covers sent from Odisha during the pre-stamp era fetched record prices in an auction held recently by the Siegel Auction Gallery in the US.
The rare covers were part of the Magnolia Collection of Indian Postal Stationery.
Postage stamp had not been invented at that time, and the postal charge had to be prepaid by the sender.
These are among the earliest covers from Odisha, with the names of cities mentioned as ‘Pooree’ and ‘Sumbulpore’, which were prevalent during the rule of East India Company.
The official folded letter addressed to P. DaCosta posted from erstwhile Poorie (now Puri) on 2nd May, 1838 has the marking as ‘POOREE/FREE’ with an oval hand stamp. The cover was sold for USD 950 (around Rs 91,000) at the Siegel Auction.
The Sambalpur cover was posted on 3rd September, 1850, and addressed to Androssan, Scotland. The cover, bearing the framed hand stamp ‘SUMBULPORE/Paid’ travelled via Calcutta, Marseilles and London, reaching the addressee on 21st October. It was sold for USD 800 (nearly Rs 77,000) to an unknown bidder.
According to Anil Dhir, vice-president of Eastern India Philatelic Association and also a Fellow of Philatelic Congress of India, pre-stamp covers from Odisha are scarce and valuable, often featuring early hand stamps or manuscript markings from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Odisha’s early postal history was largely governed under the Bengal Presidency, with crucial mail routes and early hand-struck stamps connecting Cuttack, Puri and Balasore to Calcutta. Early postal routes were established by the East India Company to connect the administrative centres of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Dhir, who is also convener of Intach’s Bhubaneswar Chapter, said that there are many heritage post offices and dak bungalows in the state, many of which have been demolished or renovated.
