The Bard Papers

The COLLECTING KASHMIR† website and its readers are fortunate indeed to have access to some of the dating information of Anthony Bard FRPSL. This research emends and considerably extends a core chapter in the literature of the field. —CvdL

Post Offices 1894

© A.S. Bard 2006. Reproduction of this map is permitted for research purposes. Reproduction of this map for publication is permitted as long as the copyright is acknowledged. Click map for a large pop-up of the orginal (if Javascript is enabled.)

State Postal Markings

The prefixes S and B on the Type Numbers distinguish the State & British Offices. The scans in purple are of modern restrikes (Staal-Sharmas) done with the original implements, and the b/w illustrations are drawings provided by Anthony Bard. Unless a stamp intrudes to establish the scale, nothing about relative size is to be inferred from our scans, which were obtained here and yon under different conditions.

Jammu Srinagar Sialkot Leh Other

SJ1 The Jammu Frank, 3 August 1861 to 16 March 1865. Séfi misreads an 1865 cover bearing it as 1866 because part of the date plug shows around the number “5”, thus “(5”. It is listed incorrectly as 1870 in Prassoli. Detail is from a cover in the Hellrigl collection.

SJ2 Jammu Round Seal in magenta, assumed to be available from the beginning, 23 March 1866, and last attested on 06 May 1868. The impression is mirror-reversed, hence the re-inversion for easier reading.

SJ2a Jammu Round Seal in black, from 15 June 1868, and is absent by 15 April 1870. The image is a detail from January 1869 cover in the Hellrigl collection.

This sorting seal, struck in red, is seen on a 01 April 1866 Srinagar to Amritsar cover in the Hellrigl collection. Struck in black, it is seen on a May 1866 cover from the shawl agent G. Gosselin.

SJ3 Jammu Octagonal Iron Mines Seal in black is known from 15 April 1870 to 19 August 1879 ~ 13 Bhadon.

SJ3a As above but struck in red in alleged provisional use from 21 September to 02 December 1877. The obliteration is its use as SJ3. Detail from a cover in the Hellrigl collection.

SJ4 Jamvu cds in black is known from 1-4 July 1878 and is absent by 22 August 1886. Compare the top line with SJ9 below. The middle line is occupied by any of the twelve months, here Baisakh.

SJ5 DAK JAMMU seal in black is known intermittently from 20 October 1876 to 15 April 1878.

SJ6 Mohr Dak Jammun Octagon in black is known from 10 April (29 Chet) to 26 August (20 Bhadon) 1879. The top two lines read mohr Jamvu ~ ‘seal of Jammu’ in Dogri script, followed by mohr Jammûn in Persian at the bottom.

SJ7 Jammu ‘1’ Obliterator in black is known from 07 September (24 Bhadon) 1879 to 01 January 1891. SJ7a variant in purple for official use.

SJ8 State 10-bar obliterator A, Jammu regular type known from 18 September 1887 to December 1890.

SJ9 Jammu cds in black is known from 22 August (8 Bhadon 1943) 1886 to 05 January 1891 (23 Poh 1947.) Compare with SJ4 above.

SJ10 This registration seal, seen sporadically throughout the 1879-90 period, was struck at Jammu on September 1881. Type #216 in Staal, p 244. There were at least 11 types, but despite evidence of wear most are not known in postal use. The second & third lines are asking for a number (lambar) and the weight (tola.) The last line wants a date. Others of the kind want a seal (mohr) or signature in this position. It is not known for sure whether the general type was used at Srinagar (SS4 below.)

Sialkot Mail Agency

SST1 Sialkot Mail Agency duplex in black is known from 13 October 1878 to 04 September 1888. It is known from 14 March 1880 to 31 January 1881 on all outgoing State mail via Sialkot. On incoming mail from Punch it is known from 05 October 1883 to 04 September 1888.

SST2 Sialkot Mail Agency postage due (masûl vakî) seal is known from 14 March 1879 to 04 September 1888.

Srinagar Post Office

SS1 Srinagar Frank in orange is known in 07 April 1862.

SS2 Srinagar Round Seal Obliterator in orange known to 01 November 1877. Struck in black, call it SS2a, it is known from 22 November 1877 to 08 August 1879.

SS3 Srinagar Duplex in black appears after 08 August 1879 and is known to 05 May 1887.

SS4 A registration cachet of this general design may be known for Srinagar. A postal example for Jammu is shown above at SJ10.

SS5 Postage due (masûl vakî) seal for Srinagar is known over the entire 1879-90 period.

SS6 Srinagar 9-bar-9 obliterator is known from 22 May 1887 to 16 August 1891. [Other 9-bars from unknown offices are shown at the bottom of the screen.]

SS7 The Srinagar Large cds is known from 20 May 1887 to 04 November 1890, and was replaced by 22 December 1890. The top line reads Srinagar and the date is here rendered as bhâdro 23, i.e., the ‘r’-version of Bhadon. Usually the top line is an illegible blob. Séfi & Mortimer, who did not care to read Dogri, assumed the seal to be of Jammu.

Leh Post Office

SL1 The Leh Large Seal obliterator in pale ‘red’ is known from 25 August 1974 to 05 April 1879. (The black obliterations in the scan are Srinagar SS2a. This is a detail from an 1879 cover in the Jaiswal collection.) The Leh Large Seal struck in black SL1a is last known on 01 October 1882.

SL1a Another “Ladakh” seal of which this is an indication was struck in black.

SL2 A Leh duplex that reads Gilgit is known on a 18 March 1882 cover. It is last recorded on August 1890.

SL2a For Ladakh, but is unknown on cover.

Unknown Venues

9-bar-2 25 August 1890 to 15 June 1891. Also in purple.
9-bar-3 From 15 June 1890 to 14 August 1891.
9-bar-4 Known on 22 April 1890.
9-bar-6 Known on 17 October 1890.

9-bar-5 and 9-bar-8 are not recorded in use.

9-bar-7 Perhaps the latest sighting in black is for October 1891. In purple as a sorting stamp is from a postcard dated 04 January 1891.

9-bar-9 obliterator of Srinagar is known from 22 May 1887 to 16 August 1891. It is type SS6 shown upscreen.

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