India Study Circle's 75th Diamond Jubilee magazine 'India Post' article on EXPERIMENTAL MARKINGS OF TRAVANCORE :

 India Study Circle's 75th Diamond Jubilee magazine 'India Post' article by me, on the subject of  'EXPERIMENTAL MARKINGS OF TRAVANCORE'...in the lastest issue of July/ Sept 2025.

1943 Travancore private card with 6 Cash stamp from Quilon to Alleppey, with a brief history of the first Newspapers of Kerala.

1943 Travancore private card with 6 Cash stamp from Quilon to Alleppey, with a brief history of the first Newspapers of Kerala..all started from Kottayam.

'Malayala Rajyam' founded by K G Shankar, was a prominent Malayalam daily newspaper established in 1929 from Quilon, as a weekly and later converted to a daily in 1931. 

 The newspaper was aimed to support the Indian independence movement and the activities of the National Congress.

It was particularly popular among the Nair community of Kerala

The newspaper eventually ceased publication in the late 1960s.

A brief history of the first newspapers of Travancore.

The first daily newspaper in Travancore was 'Rajyasamacharam', published in June 1847 by Dr. Hermann Gundert...a religious journal published by the Basel Evangelical Mission Society. 

Nasrani Deepika is the oldest Malayalam newspaper still in circulation, established in 1887, followed by The Malayalam Manorama in 1888.

 The newspaper 'Nasrani Deepika' was first published in 1887 by Fr. Emmanuel Nidhiry. 

It was initially printed on a wooden hand press at St. Joseph's Printing Press, Mannanam, near Kottayam. The newspaper was a realization of a dream to have a publication for the Christian communities.

In 1939, the newspaper transitioned from a weekly newspaper to a daily, and  it also dropped "Nasrani" from its name and became "Deepika". 

Mourning cards of the Travancore era

1936  6 Cash stamp affixed on card from Quilon to Trivandrum.

 

1938 mourning card from Trivandrum to Kalady.

'TOO LATE' cancellation on different receipts

'TOO LATE' cancellation on different receipts..scarce to get.

VALUE PAYABLE RECEIPT 

REGISTERED ARTICLE RECEIPT

ACKNOWLEDGMENT RECEIPT

1946 Cochin Hundi to Travancore

1946..(4/11/21 M.E) Cochin inter state Hundi (green) intimation for RS 5 Annas 8 (payment of VP parcel) from Cochin to Mavelikkara) Travancore) with Mavelikkara Hundi cancellation along with Cochin (vernacular) rectangular box stamp. 

Cancellation in Malayalam is not cataloged by GB Pai..Rare.

'കൊച്ചി' (COCHIN)... in a rectangular box. Scarcely seen.

 Mavelikara Hundi cancellation 

2 types of cancellation in Wrappers.

 

Wrappers..1896 - 1905.

Wrappers which was issued in 1896 were initially obliterated with numbered thick bar, which lasted till 1902.

From 1903 to 1905, circular dates stamps were franked on wrappers. 

2 different types of hand stamp.

a) Thick bar franking (1896 - 1902).

 The first day of the New Malayalam year Chingam 1, 1072 (Aug 16, 1896)..T-24..from Quilon 

b) Circular dated stamp (1903 - '05)

From Kottayam.. Kanni 2, 1081 (Sept 17, 1905)

Travancore Wrappers..3 different..with die varieties.

Newspaper Wrappers also known as Bookpost wrapper/ Packet wrapper are used mainly to send gazettes, periodicals, news paper, magazines, pamphlets etc etc.

Travancore wrappers were introduced in September 1896, shortly after wrappers came into existence in British India (15 April,1895).

Travancore wrappers lasted hardly a decade (1896 to 1905).

 1896..Half Chuckram (8 Cash) green wrappers were used up to 1900.

1900..'SIX CASH' surcharged with violet handstamp on 1/2 Chuckram which lasted up to a few months.

1900.. Cash Six wrapper lasted upto 1905, which eventually was phased out by the introduction of Six Cash stamp in 1904, which also can be used for bookpost.

Travancore wrapper watermark.....with & without watermark. 

 "Bengal Paper Mills -Co Ltd".

Wrapper Type No 1

Half Chuckram... ചക്ക്രം അര (8 cash) wrapper.. 1896 to 1900.

Sept 15, 1896..(October 1896)..

Earlier dates exist.

Indent from the side:21.5mm  

Size of  stamp die: 21:26mm

Wrapper Type No 2

 'CASH SIX' surcharged on 1/2 chuckram  wrapper..1900 a.d.

Metal hand stamped. Provisional issue.

Short gestation period of few months of its usage. 

Indent from the wrapper side: 9 mm  

Size of stamps die: 21.5:26mm

Full size of wrapper: 300x129 mm

Stamp Die top to the wrapper top: 89 mm

Wrapper Type No 3

Picture courtesy of Mr Thomas Puthangadi.

Different Die types of Wrapper No 3.. 'CASH SIX'.

CASH SIX (കാശു ആറു ) 1900-1905.

Minor variations exists in size of die,colour, paper size & varieties and floral designs etc (not shown here).

Die Type 1.

May 26, 1900.

Earliest recorded than catalogued in Deschl (1901).

a) Concentric circle almost touches bottom rectangle box. 

b) Corner 'fluer-de-lis' are 'white' on the green background.

 

c) Frame appears to have a thin white line running all around.

Full size of wrapper: 301x123 mm

Indent: 7.5 mm  Die size: 21.5x25.5 mm

Die Type 2.

Earliest seen on Oct 29, 1901. 

a) Concentric circle, which does not touch the frame all around, with ornamental floral design under & above the circle.

b) Corner 'fluer-de-lis' are 'white' on the green background.

 

c) Gap between 'H' of CASH &'S' of SIX. 

d) Small gap between 'E' & 'A' of TRAVANCORE ANCHEL. 

e) Thick solid green frame.

Die size: 22:26.5 mm Indent : 19 mm

Die Type 2 b

1904.

a) Concentric circle, which does not touch the frame all around, with ornamental floral design under the circle.

b) Corner 'fluer-de-lis' are 'white' on the green background. 

c) Gap between 'H' of CASH & 'S'  of SIX.

d) Lettering in circle is small and thin...'TRAVANCORE ANCHAL SIX CASH'.

e) With & w/o bridge on 'H' of 'ANCIIEL' 

f) Thick solid green frame.

Die Type 3..

Jan 04,1905

a) Concentric circle almost touches bottom rectangle box.(Similar to die Type 1)

b) Corner 'fluer-de-lis' are 'white' on the green background.

c) Thick green border.

d) Lettering in circle is small and thin...'TRAVANCORE ANCHAL SIX CASH'

e) Also no bridge on 'H' of 'ANCIIEL'... check die type 2 b.

f) Thin letters within the concentric circle.

g) Thick solid green frame.

h) Gap reduced between 'H' of CASH &'S' of SIX.

Die size: 22:26 mm
Indent from the side: 19.5mm

Die Type 4

 Sept 17,1905.

a) Concentric circle, which does not touch the frame all around, with minimal space for ornamental floral design under the circle.

b) Corner 'fluer-de-lis' are 'green' on the white background.

c) Malayalam inscriptions fills the rectangular box, which is bordered by white lines. 

d) Very thin gap between 'ശു' (കാശു ) & 'ആ'(ആറു).. in the rectangular box.

e) Double white line with space in the bottom tablet.

Indent : 18mm Die size: 22:27 mm

Die Type 4 (b)

 Oct 01,1905.

Die is similar to Type 2, except to the fluer-de-lis (white instead of green).

a) Concentric circle, which does not touch the frame all around, with space for ornamental floral design under & above the circle.

b) Corner 'fluer-de-lis' are 'green' on the white background.

c) Malayalam inscriptions fills the box.

d)  Small space between 'H' & 'S' of CASH SIX.

e) Very thin gap between 'ശു' (കാശു ) & 'ആ'(ആറു)... in the rectangular box.

f) Double white line in the bottom tablet.

 

Die size: 23:28 mm  Indent: 14 mm

     

Comparison shown below:

Green in 'fleur-de-lis' pattern.

White(instead of green) in 'fleur-de-lis' pattern...