Postal HimalQUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NEPAL AND TIBET PHILATELIC STUDY CIRCLE

NTPSC Homepage (courtesy of Rainer Fuchs) http://fuchs-online.com/ntpsc

Number 117 1st Quarter 2004

Postal Himal is a quarterly publication of the Nepal & Tibet Philatelic StudyCircle. Membership subscriptions run from January through December ofeach year. Dues should be paid in local currency at the prevailing exchangerate to the Society representative in your area.

Great Britain

USA

Europe

One Year

£12

$18

€19

Three Years

£33

$50

€52

Life Member

£250

$375

€390

Secretary:

British Philatelic Federation Affiliate #435Editor: Mr. Richard M. Hanchett

6 Rainbow CourtWarwick, RI 02889-1118USAPhone (401) 738 0466email: editorofpostalhimal@cox.net

American Philatelic Society Affiliate #I22Mr. CoHn T. Heppercn Calle Miguel AngelEl Sueno - Fase IEl Chaparral03180 TorreviejaAlicanteSpainPhone & Fax 34 96 6784701email: hepper@terra.es

The Board of Directors:President: Prof. Armand Singer, armand.singer@mail.wvu.eduVice President: Mr. Dick van der WaterenTreasurer: Mr. Colin T. HepperMembers at large: Mr. Christopher Kinch, Mr. Alan Warren

Past President:Secretary:Auctioneer:Editor:

Dr. Wolfgang C. HelIriglMr. CoHn T. HepperMr. Alfonso G. Zulueta Jr.Mr. Richard M. Hanchett

Representatives:Europe: Mr. Colin T. Hepper - see address aboveIndia: Mr. Sohan Lal Dhawan & Sons, P. O. Box 95, Patiala 147001, IndiaNepal: Mr. Surendra Lal Shrestha, G. P. O. Box n, Kathmandu, NepalUSA: Mr. Roger Skinner, 1020 Covington Road, Los Altos, CA 94024, USA

Life Members: Mario C. Barbiere, Jeremy Brewer, Geoffrey Flack, P. Gupta, Richard M. Hanchett, Wolfgang C. Hellrigl,WilIiam Janson, Kenneth Javonovich, G. Lenser, Leo Martyn, R. Murray, Peter Planken, Barbara Praytor,Surendra Lal Shrestha, Roger Skinner, Dick van der Wateren, Alfonso G. Zulueta Jr.

New Members:

Change of Address:

Dropped for Non-Payment of Dues:

Lost Members: (Anyone knowing the address, please send it in)

Publishing Schedule:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Issue118 - 2nd Quarter 2004119 - 3rd Quarter 2004120 - 4th Quarter 2004121 - Ist Quarter 2005

Cutoff for ArticlesMay 22,2004August 28, 2004November 20, 2004March 05, 2005

Into MailJune 12,2004September 11,2004December 05,2004March 19, 2005

Officer's CornerEditor's RamblingsCaveat EmptorA New VarietyLetter to a KingBook Review

Armand E. SingerRichard M. HanchettArmand E. SingerSurendra Lal ShresthaKen LewisWolfgang Hellrigl

II2348

Statement of Accounts Colin HepperCommercial Frankings Tibet Wolfgang HelIriglNepal Philatelic ExhibtionHimalayan Climber's Cover Armand E. SingerNepalese First Day Covers

910141516

Officer's Corner

The hot news, of course, is the big show atWESTPEX, San Francisco Airport (Friday ­Sunday) Marriott Hotel, 1800 Old BayshoreHighway, Burlington, CA, May 7-9, 2004.Our Circle is one of the two sponsors this yearand we are allotted a minimum of 35 frames(16 pages each). Besides Dick van derWateren's revenues and another Nepal exhibitby Peter Planken, Leo Martyn's Sri Pashupati,Bob Gould's mountaineer pages, I'm showinga comprehensive Nepal exhibit and my'Chinese Presence in Tibet', updated since twoyears ago. Jeremy Brewer is contemplatingletting us see a selection ofhis fabulous Tibet.

Other exhibits by our Circle are promised.We meet as a group Friday and Saturday.Beg, borrow, or steal the long green and bethere our prime activity for 2004.www.westpwx.com for exhibit details.Reservations at www.marriott.com or 1-800­228-9290.

My own monograph on the essays andproofs of Tibet should appear soon withGeoffrey Flack. He is also publishing DannyWong's new history of the Tibetan postal

Editor's Ramblings

As you can see above, our President isdefinitely excited about the upcomingWESTPEX show. I hope that as many of youas possible will be able to attend. As notedabove, I will not be there having already madeplans to spend 4 weeks in Hawaii.

There has been a price change in Dick vander Wateren's book Nepal Revenues to accountfor the change in the value of the $ vs the €.The cost of the book is either €20.00 or $25.00.The price includes postage. Please send only

system, with the emphasis on the Chinese partof the story, some parts of which have recentlybeen appearing in the Journal of ChinesePhilately. With lick the book should be readythis spring. We're expecting him in person,and possibly Jeremy Brewer and WolfgangHellrigl. Leo Martyn will be making hisannual appearance, along with Roger Skinner,and hopefully Frank Vignola (and his son?),Al Zulueta, and others as yet unconfirmed..Bob Gould is coming in from Wisconsin, andof course, as your President, I'll put in myappearance, but our Editor Richard is beggingoff, spending his entire vacation in Hawaii.Dick and Peter are coming across from theNetherlands. This will be the meeting of theaddicted; join us.

Trivia: I just got back from a pop(ular)culture conference at the University of Nevadaat Las Vegas. I gave an informal paper on theconnections of stamps and the postal systemwith popular culture, with emphasis onphilatelists, and Tibet and Nepal as examples.

Armand E. Singer

banknotes, not checks or credit cards, to Dickfor his book.

Elsewhere in this issue (page 9) you will findthe balance of the accounts from Colin Hepper.·As usual, the largest cost that we have is forpostage, not printing. It is necessary thateveryone pay their dues promptly and you mightalso prepare for an increase in dues in the future.No one likes to pay more, but my personalthought is that the US Postal Service is notplanning to reduce postage costs.

CONGRATULATIONS to Paul Hager. His exhibit 'The Pashupati Era of Nepal 1907-1959' wona vermeil along with the American Philatelic Society 1900-1940 Medal of Excellence and theAmerican Philatelic Congress Award at the COLOPEX show in Columbus, Ohio in February.

Postal Himal No. 117 1 1sI Quarter 2004

Caveat Emptor: Did a Franco-Belgian Expedition Really Summit Everest in1960?

by

Armand E. Singer

Here's the evidence con and pro: you judgefor yourselves.

Early in February 2004, three items were soldon E-Bay. The first consists of a postcarddepicting Mt. Everest, cancelled Kathrnandu31/5/90 (7) with 3 and 2 rupee Nepal stamps,part of the se-tenant strip of three issued 18November 1982. No addressee, but lower left,three signatures, one of which could be'Dyrenfurth' (but not 'Norman' !). No expeditionname given, no dates, no camp locationmentioned, not offered at the same auction as thetwo below. In my humble opinion, the card istoo vague to be properly collectible, and onlybrought up here because E-Bay is becoming ahot spot for mountaineering covers andrepresents in this case a good reason to becautious before relinquishing cash.

The other two items (the real reason for thisarticle' s title), here illustrated, are a differentstory.

The oblong box (upper left, first cover; backside on the other), reads:

Expedition Franco BeIgeBhoutan Sikkim Nepal

Ascension du Mount EverestAvec depart au Dzong SimtokhaAu Royaume de Bhoutan 1960

The lettering under the circle (with the outlineof Mt. Everest and the words 'Mount EverestSommet') reads, 'Cette letter a ete obliteree ausommet du mount Everest'. Both covers areaddressed to a Capitaine Louis Lenoir inSimtokha. I have inserted all accent marks asrequired but am not absolutely certain theyactually appear - the reproduction off the Internetis faulty. The exotic cancel is Bhutanese, and thestamps, one blue (or green), one red (or orange),are from Bhutan's first issue (the set of four

Postal Himal No. 117 2

depicting the 'dOlje' or thunderbolt), originallyfiscal, but legitimized for domestic postal use in1955, according to Stanley Gibbons). The colorsare not accurate and could be the lower values oreither of the two higher ones (though the twoenvelopes look identical and supposedly wouldrequire the same postage). The wording of thetext, lower left, reads in translation, 'This letterwas cancelled at the summit of Mt. Everest'.'Obliteree', properly used, must refer to thecancel and the Bhutanese stamp, not the circularcachet. The text is in blue, the cancel in black.

A few bits of data: 1) The stamps were fordomestic use only, and in any case not valid inTibet or Nepal. 2) The cancel (see HimalayanEchoes, No. 15, September 1975, centerfold) ismonger Dzong, and is Bhutanese. No problemexcept that Everest is not in Bhutan in the firstplace, as every schoolboy should know. 3)Simtokha is a fortress ('dzong') in Bhutan,sometimes visited by tourists. 4) If CapitaineLenoir is a mountaineer, much less one connectedwith Everest, I cannot find him listed on theInternet nor in Unsworth's authoritative andexhaustive Everest: The Mountaineering History(third and latest edition, Seattle, WA, 2000). 5)By 1960, we can count the Hillary / PasangNorgay British first ascent of Everest in 1953; thesecond ascent in 1956 by the Swiss; the thirdascent, usually accepted by now the Chinese /Tibetan party in 1960. A 1960 sumrniting by aFranco-Belgian expedition would have beenworld news worthy. No such expedition seems tohave reached recognition. 6) We must imagine ascenario involving an expedition so small andinconspicuous that it could ascend from the Tibetside (almost inconceivable, with the Chinese onthe spot in the first place) or the Nepal side withthe native authorities unaware of its existence(highly improbable: 1960 was not like the earlydays where one or two men could try their luck or

1sI Quarter 2004

die in the attempt). Alternatively, we might havea larger group, important enough to. getBhutanese collaboration (a government cancelfor a summit cover!), equally unlikely. 7)Finally, these two 'summit' covers, if genuine,would be fabulously valuable. The British havenever claimed to have sent one from the top, norhave the Swiss nor the Chinese. The firstsummit cover I can fine mention of is in theSiena Club archives and dates from theAmerican Expedition of May 22, 1963. (see theSierra Club Bulletin for June 1963). I might addthat I tried way beyond my financial abilities tocoax the Club into relinquishing the item - to noavail Ca valuable piece of historic memorabilia

of the Siena Club and therefore will be retained... by the Club').

In short, these two· covers, which fetched, I amtold $366.00 and $386.00, ca. February 1, 2004,would look to be dubious investments.

(NOTE: This article could well share its'author's name with that of his friend andcollaborator on the Catalogue of HimalayanMountaineering Correspondence, Bob Gould.The latter apprised me of the E-Bay offerings anddiscussed their status. Most of my conclusionsabove are equally his. Geoffrey Flack put in hisvaluable two cents as well and helped furnish theillustrations.)

. '.-.~.~ .

~-~------._-=-.~-~~~~-~:.:..._..".-:;::~~~S·.~:j~~~:~=l~~_~ ,':Co' r~>,·~;.c./..:::.;"li

"!!~~~~~~~ ~. . ......'

New Varity Discovered after 20 Yearsby

Surendra Lal Shrestha

The stamp was lithographed by Rosenbaum Bros. of Vienna, Austria.

It is listed in Stanley Gibbons as 418 and in Scott as 398.

The denomination is 5 paisa and the stamp is multicolored, with aperforation of 14. The designer was K. K. Karmacharya.

1sI Quarter 20043

A new variety (misaligned horizontal perforation) has been reported bySurendra Lal Shrestha. It occurs on the image of Hrishikesh, Ridi. Itwas issued on December 30, 1981 as part of the Visit Nepal issue.

Postal Himal No. 117

Letter to a Kingby

Ken Lewis

The prelude to this article, entitled EmeiMountain (editor: Emei Mountain, PH 116, pg4), contained the background to this cover. Torecap: during the 19th and early 20th centuriesthere was an influx on missionaries throughoutthe world, the majority of which were of theChristian faith. This article is concerned withthe Nepalese monasteries located on EmeiMountain near Chentu, Szechwan Province,China. There are many religions in Nepal, butthe most popular now is Hinduism; in 1909 itwas Buddhism. This article is concerned withone cover, which was sent from the Buddhisttemples to the Maharajah of Nepal. During theresearch into the background of this cover quitea number of unusual items were unearthed.

The Temples (or monasteries)The Buddhist temples were set up at Emei

Mountain, 150 miles to the south south west ofChentu in the province of Szechwan at thesouthwestern corner of China. Monks fromNepal had established it by crossing theHimalayan mountain range, by one of the 'Silk'Roads, traveling through Tibet, eventuallyreaching China with the intention of promotingtheir religion. At the time there were no roadsas such, just well trodden paths between Nepaland Tibet into China used by .the localinhabitants to gain access into China. Onlytwenty temples (or monasteries) now exist,originally there were one hundred on the side ofEmei Mountain.

The 'Royal' family of NepalUp until 1846 the King ruled Nepal, but due

to a series of events he was reduced to being justa puppet. The Prime Minister gained control ofthe country and ran it as the head of state withthe King just attending in a ceremonial role.When the Prime Minister, Chandra Rana, was incontrol he bestowed the title of shree shree shreeMaharajah upon himself. This compares with

the title of the King, which was shree shreeshree shree shree Maharajah. In Nepal thehighest title had five shree's and were onlypermitted for those of Royal descent, all othernoblemen had a lesser number of shree's. Thisreign lasted until 1951, when it reverted back tothe Royal Family.

The coverThis cover (editor - please see page 7)

contained a petition, as mentioned in theNepalese script. It is understood that the onlymonks allowed to communicate with the 'King'of Nepal were those located at the GoldenSummit of Emei Mountain. These monksdecided to send a petition to Chandra Rana (asthe address {in English} indicates 'His HighnessThe Maharajah, Kathmandu, Nepal') for aprobable change in the laws governing Nepal andits overseas missions. As there are twentytemples from the Golden Summit to the base ofEmei Mountain, this letter passed down themountain from temple to temple until it reachedthe lowest temple. At this lowest temple a monkwas selected, with about four or five othermonks, to take the cover to the post office inChentu. The nearest post office, at Chentu, was150 miles from the base of the mountain, and themonks had to walk there and back, irrespectiveof the weather. These expeditions were regardedas one way of spreading the word of their faith,and a number of the monks, from the lowesttemple, set out together for Chentu. When themonks reached Chentu they called at the postoffice, handed over the 20 cents for postage(including the registration fee) and this sealedcover was put into the Chinese postal system.

As can be seen the postmark on the rear ofthe cover indicates acceptance of this cover intothe Chinese Postal System at Chentu on 15thFebruary 1909. During February the weather isvery similar to the British climate, and to travelthe 150 miles on foot to Chentu must have been

Postal Himal No. 117 4 1st Quarter 2004

an arduous feat. Obviously the trek back toEmei Mountain, in similar weather, was just asarduous.

Also on the back can be seen a form ofmanuscript seal that is similar to '117811', whichmeans that any unauthorized person who opensthis item of mail will be conunitting a sin that isequivalent to the slaughter of 25 sacred cows ­in other words they can expect a fate worsethan death

For those who are interested the full address,as written in Nepalese (on the front) is:

Swasti Shree Maddati PrachandaBhujdandetyadi Shree Shree ShreeMaharaj major General Sir ChandraSamser Jung Rana Bahadur G.C.B.G.C.S.1. and D.C.L. Honorary ColonelFourth GurRhas Thong Un Pimma KoKang Wang Syan Prime Minister andMarshel Ka Hajurma Bintipatra

As must be agreed, this is some title for justone person!

On the front it can be seen that the stampswere cancelled at Shanghai and it is consideredthat the stocks of stamps at Chentu post officehad run out and were awaiting a fresh supply.To allow the mail to continue on its courseunhindered all the unstamped mail was put intoa sealed bag (on 15th February 1909) togetherwith a note indicating that no stamps wereavailable and requesting the clerks at Shanghaito affix and duly cancel them. Before thiscover was put into the closed bag, twoRegistered Handstamps were applied (in black)together with its number (248) in manuscript.From Chentu the mail was put onto a boat totravel 160 miles down the min Jiang River toYibin. At Yibin there was a landing stage thatwas on the Yangtze River (probably at the mostwestern of all stages), and it was here that themail was transferred to the larger river craft totravel the 180 miles to Chongqing. The nextstage was from Chongqing to Anking, a total of760 miles, and then the final 400 miles toShanghai. Because the Yangtze is a long riverthe river craft varied in size as the depth of thewater increased. As the mail was transferred to

other ships along the route it was joined byother mail collected en route. When the maileventually reached Shanghai, some 31 dayslater on 18th March 1909, two 10 cent stampswere affixed as requested and duly cancelled.In addition to this duty the Shanghai post officeapplied their Handstamp (in red), which reads'SHANGHAI' in quite an unusual style. Fromthe appearance of the cover the inner 10-centwas cancelled by another boxed Handstampreading 'POST OFFICE' and tying it to boththe other stamp and the cover. Experts inChinese markings have not seen this boxedHandstamp previously and are currentlyinvestigating its origin.

From Shanghai this cover was put onto aocean going ship heading westward. This shipwould most probably have called at the treatyPorts between Shanghai and Hong Kong tocollect and off load mail and cargo as well asrefueling (or bunkering). From Hong Kong theship would travel along the Vietnam coastline,across the South China Sea to Singapore, up theStrait of Malacca, across to Sri Lanka (Ceylon),and finally to Tuticorin (India). Tuticorin is anIndian port opposite Sri Lanka, and where thiscover was entered into the Indian postal system.When this cover entered India it had a transitmark (registered) dated 31st March 1909. FromTuticorin the cover traveled by train to Calcuttawhere it was sorted and carried to Rauxalstation. Rauxal is the closest point to Nepal formail, and where a runner would take the mailacross the Indian/Nepalese border and deliver itto the post office in Kathmandu for delivery tothe addressee. Unfortunately there is noreceiving mark for Nepal; it is considered tohave taken about 3 days to reach Rauxal fromTuticorin and a further 5 days to reachKathmandu. How long it took to deliver it the150 miles to Chentu from Emei Mountain isunknown.

The distance from Chentu to Kathmandu, viathe old 'Silk' Road was only 1,300 miles, whichcould have only been done on foot and acrossthe inhospitable Himalayan mountain range.The postal route and mileages taken for thiscover are:

Postal Himal No. 117 5 1si Quarter 2004

Route to Shanghai

From Chentu via Min Jiang to YibinFrom Yibin via Yangtze Kiang to ChongqingFrom Chongqing via Yangtze Kiang to AnkingFrom Anking via Yangtze Kiang to ShanghaiTotal

by SeaFrom Shanghai to SingaporeFrom Singapore to TuticorinTotal

by TrainFrom Tuticorin to VisakhapatnamFrom Visakhapatnam to CalcuttaFrom Calcutta to RaxaulTotal

by RunnerFrom Raxaul to Kathmandu

Overall mileage from Chentu to Kathmandu

ConclusionAs can be seen from the background to this

grubby piece of cover is both surprising andfascinating, with a colorful story to tell. Whowould have thought that a monk would want topetition the king of Nepal and expect some poornovice to walk 150 miles to post the letter, andthen walk all the way back during the ravages ofthe February weather? The experts are stilltrying to determine the origin of the previouslyunseen boxed Handstamp. It is these smallitems that create more understanding to theroutes, and by which offices, the cover took toreach its destination.

It is a pity that it is not known what the

Miles160180760400

1,500

2,6502,3505,000

850500400

1,750

200

8,450

petition concerned, as this would havecompleted an already fascinating story. There isgreat probability that the petition was just one ofmany that appeared on the Maharajah's deskeach morning, and finding out which one wassent by the monks of Emei Mountain will be animpossibility after all these years.

AcknowledgementsThis article could not have been written withoutmentioning the invaluable help given by ColinHepper and S. L. Shrestha, both of the Nepal andTibet Philatelic Study Circle, and Major RichardPratt of the Chinese Philatelic Society of London.

Postal Himal No. 117 6 1sI Quarter 2004

Postal Himal No. 117 7 1st Quarter 2004

Book Review

by

Wolfgang Hellrigl

The Chinese Presence in Tibet, by Prof. Armand E. Singer. Topanga, CA: George Alevizos, 2002.Softbound, 129 pages, with numerous illustrations, some in colour.

This volume is the latest effort by the doyenof Tibetan postal history, who for the pastdecade has produced books on Tibet and Nepal,respectively, at an impressive pace.

After reading The Armand E. Singer Tibet1809-1975 (G. Alevizos, 1995), Supplement tothe Armand E. Singer Tibet 1809-1975 (G.Alevizos, 1998), The Officials of Tibet (G.Flack, 1999) and the marginally related Catalogof Himalayan Mountaineering Correspondence(G. Alevizos, 2002), I wondered what furthersurprises the new book could possible hold.

The author himself supplies the answer in hisintroduction when he says that he wishes toshow a 'more varied evidence than simplycovers and stamps, along with the odd extra'. Inhis effort to convey 'a truer, more complete,more valid picture', he offers to present a part ofhis outstanding collection in a more interestingand informative vest. Even if a number of theitems illustrated were evidently included in hisearlier publications, they are now shown in adifferent context.

The complete story of the Chinese presencein Tibet is documented with extraordinarymaterial, both covers and ephemera such asofficial seals, postal warrants, armycommuniqueses, telegraph forms, revenuepapers, postal memos, a custom pass and thelike.

The red-seals section - opened in great stylewith a fabulous Panchen Lama letter of 1731 - issimply superb.

The period of the Imperial Chinese postagestamps (1910-1913) has been studiedthoroughly before, making it almost impossibleto add new findings. However, several of theitems illustrated appear not to have beenpublished elsewhere. The various documents

relating 0 the Chinese withdrawal from Tibet in1911-1912 are outstanding as is an officialcover of 1912 from a little-known Chinesemilitary expedition into Tibet.

To bridge the period from 1912 to 1950, is anearly impossible task as far as the Chinesepresence in Tibet is concerned: in view of thefact that virtually no Sino-Tibetan covers exist,Prof. Singer shows collateral documents andcovers from the eastern border regions instead.

The highlight of the book, however, is thesplendid coverage of the 'liberation' period ofthe early 1950s, with a great variety of rare mailfrom Tibet to China.

Correspondences connected with the People'sLiberation Army, motor brigades, roadconstruction teams, military hospitals, mobileand Field P.O.s tell a fascinating story. This isapplied history taught through covers anddocuments. I was particularly pleased to findsome previously unrecorded military markings(Military P.O.s Nos. 20011, 48211, 48212 and48927) as well as an equally umecordedChamdo datestamp of 1953 (page 94). Thesemodem rarities are important additions to ourknowledge of this difficult period.

As always, the author's captions are through,highly informative and interesting. By now,readers of his numerous books and articles havelearned to appreciate Prof. Singer's way ofselecting, documenting and commenting his finematerial. In short, this book reflects the author'spersonal interpretation of Sino-Tibetan postalhistory in the widest sense of the word. To uscollectors, this volume represents a highlyvaluable source of information on elusivematerial, commented by a master in this field.

Thank you, Armand, for sharing yourtreasures with us.

Postal Himal No. 117 8 1sI Quarter 2004

Statement of Accounts of the Nepal and Tibet Philatelic Study Circleby

Colin Hepper

Statement of Accounts - Europe (£) 01 January 2003 - 31 December 2003

Income

Statement of Accounts - USA ($)

Subscriptions

Postal Himal - Back Issues

Trans. From Europe Account

Auction 71 Income

Total Income

Balance (Income-Expenditure)

Balance Brought Forward

Savings Account

Total

Bank Interest

Subscriptions

Balance Auction 71

Balance Forward

Total

Life Members Account

Total Income

Balance (Income - Expenditure)

Combined Total (£)

USA converted to £'s

Europe

TOTAL

Postal Himal No. 117

01 January 2003 - 31 December 2003

Income

805.25 Postal Himal Printing

20.00 Postal Himal Postage

3096.95 Miscellaneous

1362.99 Auction 71

5285.19 Total Expenditures

1815.47

41.10

1035.72

2892.29

39.52 Trans. Funds to USA Acc.

470.59 Postage

Auction Payment + Trans. to USA

ABPS Subscriptions

608.96

3661.69

4780.76

3050.00

7830.76 Total Expenditures

5691.87

1701.35

5691.87

7393.22

9

Expenditure

641.67

1183.11

160.39

1484.55

3469.72

Expenditure

1500.00

17.33

608.96

12.60

2138.89

1sI Quarter 2004

Commercial Frankings of the 1912 and 1933 Issues of Tibetby

Wolfgang Hellrigl

Some twenty years ago I started to recordevery commercial franking of Tibet that I havecome across. Since then, whenever I have seena Tibetan cover, in books, in exhibits, in auctioncatalogues, etc., I checked whether it was on mylist of different frankings. Over the years, thislist has grown steadily and now comprises atotal of 115 entries (39 entries for the 1912issue, 73 for the 1933 issue and 3 for mixedfrankings of both issues.

The purpose of this listing is twofold.Firstly, collectors should find it quite interestingto know which frankings exist. In addition, rarefrankings are identified by the codes R, RR andRRR, respectively.

The second purpose is to link the frankings tothe postal rates. There are still several lacunaein our knowledge of the postal rates, especiallyof the 1950-1956 period. Further investigationsinto this field will definitely benefit from these

franking charts. Although some of the frankingslisted represent rate combinations (e.g.,registration and insurance), and others are theresult of postal fraud (e.g., the 2 Yi t. rate of the1933 issue), the charts will make it easier toestablish and/or check rate theories.

The list only records the Tibetan part of thepostage and disregards any British-Indian,Nepalese, Chinese or stamps of other countriesthat may have been combined with the Tibetanpostage recorded.

By publishing this list I hope that readerscheck their own holdings and record any furtherfrankings. I would estimate that at least anothertwenty franking combinations should exist.However, please do only record strictlycommercial covers, as philatelic or cancelled-to­order frankings, or covers with missing stamps,are meaningless for the outlined purpose.

Rate - Issue of 1912 1/6 1/3 1/2 2/3 1 Rarity

1/6 t. x 1

1/3 t. xl

x2

1/2 t. x 1

x3

xl xl R

bisect RRR

2/3 t. x 1

x2

x4

x 1 x 1 R

x2 xl R

Postal Himal No. 117 10 1st Quarter 2004

Rate - Issue of 1912 1/6 1/3 1/2 2/3 1 Rarity(continued)

5/6 t. xI x 1 R

x 1 x 1 R

x3 x 1 R

xI x2 R

1 t. x 1 R

x2 x 1 R

x3 x 1 R

x3 RR

x6 RR

x4 x 1 R

x 1 x 1 R

1 1/6 t. x3 x 1 RR

xI x 1 RR

1 1/3 t. x2 RR

x2 x 1 RR

x4 x 1 RR

1 1/2 t. xI x4 RR

1 2/3 t. x 1 x 1 RR

x2 x2 RR

2t. x 1 x 1 x 1 RRR

x4 x 1 RR

x 12 RR

2 1/3 t. x2 x2 RRR

22/3 t. x4 RRR

3 1/3 t. x5 RRR

3 5/6 t. x 1 x 1 x3 RRR

4 2/3 t. xI x4 RRR

Postal Himal No. 117 11 1sI Quarter 2004

Rate - Issue of 1933 1/2 2/3 1 2 4 Rarity

1/2 t. x I perf

xl

2/3 t. x I perf RRR

x I RRR

I t. x I perf RR

x I

x 2 perf

x2

I 2/3 t. x I x I

2t. x I perf RR

x2 x I

x2 x I

x3

x4 R

2 1/2 t. x I x2

x I x I

22/3 t. x I x2

x I x I

xr RR

3t. x I perf x I RR

x I x I

x2 x I

x3

x3 x I

x4 x I R

x6 RR

x2 x3 RR

4t. x I perf RRR

x I

x2

x2 x I

x4

x6

Postal Himal No. 117 12 1sI Quarter 2004

Rate - Issue of 1933 1/2 2/3 1 2 4 Rarity(continued)

4 1. (continued) x3 x 1

x4 x3 RR

x4 x2 RR

x8 RRR

x2 x3 x 1 RRR

x4 x 1 R

x3 x 1 R

4 1/21. x 1 x 1

x 1 x2

42/31. x 6 perf RRR+xl

x 1 x 1

xl x2

x7 RR

x4 x4 RR

51. xl xl

x2 xl

x 1 x2

x2 x2

x5 RR

xl+ Rquadrisect

x2 quadrisect R

xl three RRRquarters

bisect x 1

x 2 + bisect

x4 x 1 + bisect RR

x3 x 1 + bisect RR

5 1/3 1. x8 RRR

61. x 1 x 1

x3

62/31. x 1 xl xl RRR

Postal Himal No. 117 13 1sI Quarter 2004

Rate - Issue of 1933 1/2 2/3 1 2 4 Rarity(continued)

71. x 3 perf x 1 perf RRR

x3 x 1 R

x 1 x3 R

81. x2 R

x4 R

9 1/3 1. x2 x4 RR

101. x2 x4 RR

121. x6 RR

x3 RR

Mixed Frankings of the 1912 and 1933 Issues

Rate 1912 Issue 1933 Issue Rarity

41. 2/31. x 3

2/3 1. + 1/3 1.

1/61. x 2

21.

2/3 t. x 3 + 1 1.

1/2 1. x 2 + 2/3 1. + 1 1. x 2

RRR

RRR

RRR

NB: All stamps in the above chatiS are imperforate, except when expressly stated 'perf.

Philatelic Exhibition in Nepal

from Stamps of India Collectors Companion (stampsofindia@vsnl.net)

A philatelic exhibition highlighting the age-old bilateral ties between India and Nepal opened inKathmandu on January 25, 2004. Nepal's Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman,Parashunarayan Chaudhari, opened the three day exhibition which was organized by the Nepal IndiaFriendship Society to mark the 55th Republic Day ofIndia.

The stamps on display included those issued by the Nepalese Government on Lord Ram and Sita,those on late King Tribhuvan with his two wives, Kanti and Ishwori, from Punjab whom he marriedin 1918, Golden Jubilee of the 1st ascent of Mount Everest, Lord Buddha, Father of the NationMahatma Gandhi and many others.

President of the Nepal Philatelic Society, Kedar Pradhan, recalled that the Indian post officestationed at the India Embassy premises in Kathmandu provided postal service to the NepaleseGovernment since 1816 and continued until 1965.

The show was very successful and attracted more than ten thousand visitors over a period of threedays.

Postal Himal No. 117 14 1st Quarter 2004

Early Himalayan Climber's Coverby

Armand E. Singer

This article originally appeared in the Collector's Club Philatelist July-August 2003, page 197-198

In our recent book, A Catalog of HimalayanMountaineering Correspondence (Topanga,CA: George Alevizos, 2002), Robert F. Gouldand I agreed that such material pretty muchdates from the three George Leigh MalloryEverest expeditions, 1921, 1922, and 1924.However, the Himalayan era starts as far backas the middle of the nineteenth century, andbuilds up to climbing strength with LordConway of Allington, the Duke of the Abruzzi,Douglas Freshfield, Dr. Kellas, Vittorio Sella,the man-and-wife American team of Dr. andMrs. Workman, among others around the turn ofthe century. We argued that somecorrespondence must surely have survived.Hound autograph dealers as well as thephilatelic community, we advised, though untilnow we had never actually seen an appropriatepiece. (editor - see page 16 for the cover.)The Story Behind the Cover

In June 1895 the fabled British climber A. F.Mummery, who could get a hold on any piece ofrock and surmount it (a true 'spider' oneenthusiast once called him), fresh from victoriesin the Alps and the Caucasus, decided to try hishand in the Himalaya, specifically theformidable Nanga Purbat, 8,126 meters (26,600feet) in the Indian Karakorams (now in

. Pakistan). With him were Geoffrey Hastings(addressee of this cover) and 1. Norman Collie,both fine alpinists. It was a reconnaissanceexpedition. Ascertaining risks, routes, andstrategies. They reached more than 20,000 feetmore than once, retreated, regrouped, andattempted different expedients. One lastscramble: Mummery would go up the DiamirFace, the others would meet him in the Rackhiot

Valley on the other side. They waited andwaited, but Mummery and his two Gurkhaswere never seen or heard from again.

Today, some theorists argue it was adangerous, really hopeless goal, needing moreequipment, more time, more camps. Theconsensus is that Mummery probably perishedin an avalanche on the Diama Glacier, commonon the Diamir Face. The disappearance elicitedalmost as much interest as that of Mallory andIrvine on Everest almost thirty years later.

Hastings and Collie finally left after muchsearching in early September as mountainwinter was setting in - about the time this letterwould have reached themRouting and Postal MarkingsSent via Brindisi (Italy, a common sending-off

port for Asian mail at that time).Cancelled Skipton, England, July 18, 1895.Postmarked Rawalpindi, India, as directed, AD.

6 (2 strikes).Readdressed Srinagar, via Bandipur (a railroad).Postmarked Srinagar (2 strikes) SE. 8Postmarked D.L.O. Lahore, SE. 23.Postmarked D.L.O., Bombay, 28 OC.Postmarked SEA POST OFFICE, DE 30.A stamp NON RECLAMEINOT RECLAIMED,

(and on the left of face, in faint violet inkmanuscript, 'Not Claimed') given it at theSea Port Office unless in Skipton by the clerkor postmaster, presents a minor problem.How did the letter get saved? See Karl M.Herrligkoffer, The Killer Mountain: NangaPurbat (New York: Knopf, 1954) (orig. inGerman) for a fuller account of the wholestory (pp. 6-22).

NOTE: Several of the markings have been enhanced to ensure readable reproduction, though allwere originally quite readable; the cover is slightly reduced.

Postal Himal No. 117 15 1st Quarter 2004

'j'ijJi ~ru.~ first Day Co....er

Technical Details1. Subject2. Denomination3. Colour4. Composition5. Size6. Process

Thanks to HMG, Nepal Post,Nepal Philatelic Bureau,Kathmandu for providing thisFirst Day Cover.

: Golden Jubilee of the First Ascent of Mount Everest, 2003: Rs 25/- 7. Quantity : Half Million: Four 8. Format : Horizontal: 16 stamps per sheet 9. Paper : High Quality Stamp Paper: Stamp: 38.5 x 29.6 mm 10. Designer : K. K. Karmacharya: Offset Lithography 11. Printer : Austrian Government Printing

Office, Vienna, Austria

Postal Himal No. 117 16 1sI Quarter 2004