Philatelic Exhibition: Dead Letter Office Cancellations
Technical Data
| Stamp Set | INDIA - 89 world Philatelic Exhibition |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | December 20, 1988 |
| Denomination | 60 p |
| Quantity | 1,500,000 |
| Perforation | comb 13½ x 13 |
| Printer | Security Printing Press, Nashik |
| Watermark | No Watermark |
| Colors | Multicolor |
| Catalog Codes |
Michel IN 1195 Stamp Number IN 1253 Yvert et Tellier IN 1002A Stanley Gibbons IN 1341 |
| Themes | Philatelic Exhibitions | Philately |
India-89 World Philatelic Exhibition
Introduction:
- Event: India-89 World Philatelic Exhibition.
- Organizer: Department of Posts.
- Series: Fourth set of stamps with two cancellations, one of the RMS (Railway Mail Service) and the other of the DLO (Dead Letter Office).
Indian Postal System:
- Scale: One of the largest in the world.
- Historical Coverage: Included undivided India, Burma, and outposts like Aden, Singapore, and Shanghai.
- Relevance to Philatelists: The Indian postal history is rich and offers extensive material for those specializing in postal history collections, focusing on routes, rates, and markings.
Focus on Cancellations:
- Significance: Markings are a colorful aspect of postal history collections.
- Relevance: Appropriate to choose postal cancellations for this stamp set.
Stamp 1: Travelling Post Office (TPO):
- Depiction: Earliest hand stamp of the TPO in the ‘Allahabad-Cawnpore’ railway sector.
- Usage: From December 1864 to 1869.
- Establishment: First TPO on 1st May, 1864, under a Superintendent at Allahabad.
- Routes: Operated on ‘Allahabad-Cawnpore’ and ‘Calcutta-Delhi’ railway sectors.
- Post Mark: Circular with a diameter of 25 to 26 mm.
- Upper Rim: “TRAVELLING”
- Lower Rim: “POST OFFICE”
- Inner Details: “No. 1”, date, and “AC” in three horizontal lines.
- Example: Used by the 1st set of the experimental TPO on 21st August, 1864.
Stamp 2: Dead Letter Office (DLO):
- Depiction: Cancellation type used by DLOs in 1886.
- Origin: Traced to the Act of 1837, prescribing the treatment of undelivered letters.
- Initial Process: Undelivered letters lying for over three months sent to the GPO, listed in the official Gazette, remained for 18 months, then destroyed after a further 12 months.
- Establishment: Dead Letter Offices set up in the 1860s.
- Markings: Used towards the end of the decade on envelopes and postal materials.
- Square Marking: 18 mm with “D.L.O.”, post office, and date in three horizontal lines within the square.
Acknowledgements:
- Text Material Courtesy: Shri G.B. Pai, Col. L.G. Shenoi, and the India-80 catalogue.