| Item | Description | Price |
| Bahrain Censor handstamp | ||
| BPH5/01 | Donaldson records that this h/s was first used in 1940, reflecting the early imposition of postal censorship. The KGV stamps on the reverse of this cover are cancelled by the BAHRAIN AIR cds, dated 7 JAN 40, so this is definately very early and may be the earliest recorded usage of the Bahrain Censor handstamp. View. Horizontal crease does not affect the handstamp. Harmers auction 18/12/2001 lot #829 has this censor handstamp on a 1943 cover, estimated at £100 (+ commission, etc). | £ 95 Sold |
| BPH5/02 | 1940 picture postcard (14th century Portuguese Fort) used for Xmas greeting to USA, passed by the Bahrain Censor. Good strikes of this censor mark are not common.View | £ 25 Sold |
| 1st Registration Label with BAHRAIN hs - Donaldson Type 16 | ||
| BPH5/03 | 1912 cover to Bombay, India. The Registration label on this cover is pictured on page 13 of Donaldson's Supplement. It is one of only two recorded examples of this particular design of Registration label.
This one (view) is No.40. The handstamp is approximately 11.5mm by 2.5mm Postage is paid by a single copy of the India KE VII 21/2 Annas, cancelled by the continental device, dated 18 MA 12. The only recorded surviving copy of this Registration label. As a result of this web page, I have been advised that another complete copy of this Reg label does exist. No 39 is on a cover to Bombay, also dated 18 MA 12. | £ 240 Sold |
| Registration Label with small BAHRAIN hs - Donaldson Type ?? | ||
| BPH5/04 | 1914 (trimmed/tidied) cover to India. Postage is paid by KGV 2A plus 3Ps x 2 cancelled by strikes of the (Donaldson Type 3) "receiver" c.d.s. dated 23 OCT 14. View.
The front of the cover carries a Registration label of the style identified by Donaldson as type 17 but with an unrecorded straight line BAHRAIN handstamp, approximately 11mm by 2mm. View. The only recorded copy of this handstamp with the smaller typeface. | £ 200 Sold |
| BAHRAIN PERSIAN GULF DISTRICT hs - Donaldson Type 18 | ||
| See BPH1/15, BPH1/18 (direct on cover) and BPH2/01 (on Registration label) on previous pages | ||
| BAHRAIN hs - Donaldson Type 19 | ||
| BPH5/05 | 1942 cover to Bombay, India, showing the straight line BAHRAIN (type 19) handstamp applied, as normal, to a pre-numbered registration label. The cover carries stamps of the 1938 issue cancelled by strikes of the (Donaldson Type 9) first Bahrain Reg handstamp, dated 7 APR 42. The red-on-white censor label is tied to the cover by the Crown / PASSED / DHC/21 handstamp and a Bombay receiver c.d.s. View | £ 30 Sold |
| BPH5/06 | A rather battered and roughly opened foolscap cover showing the straight line BAHRAIN (type 19) handstamp applied, as normal, to a pre-numbered registration label. Postage is paid by stamps of the 1942 KGVI issues of India, overprinted BAHRAIN, cancelled by a single strike of the double-ring (Donaldson Type 9) BAHRAIN / REG cancellation. View The envelope is opened and re-sealed by Censors tape and h/s Crown / PASSED / DHC/44 and straight line DHC/623 | £ 15 Sold |
| BPH5/07 | Stamps of the 1938 and 1942 KGVI issues of India, overprinted BAHRAIN, cancelled by a single strike of the double-ring (Donaldson Type 9) BAHRAIN / REG cancellation dated 15 DEC 45. A strike of the (Donaldson Type 19) 17.5 mm BAHRAIN handstamp is applied direct to the cover and the registration details are written by hand. Presumably the Post Office had run out of Registration labels. View | £ 30 Sold |
| BPH5/08 | Large cover (29cm x 13 cm), a bit battered. Stamps of the 1938 and 1942 KGVI issues of India (view), overprinted BAHRAIN, cancelled by a single strike of the double-ring (Donaldson Type 9) BAHRAIN / REG cancellation dated DEC 44. A strike of the (Donaldson Type 19) 17.5 mm BAHRAIN handstamp is applied direct to the cover and the registration details are written by hand. Presumably the Post Office had run out of Registration labels. View The envelope is opened and re-sealed by Censors tape which is tied by the usual handstamps | £ 15 Sold |
| BPH5/09 | The British G.P.O. took over administration of the Bahrain Post Office on April 1st, 1948. This cover seems to indicate that they brought stamps but did not bring any Registration labels with them. For a few days they continued the Indian P.O. practice of direct application of the straight line BAHRAIN handstamp (Donaldson Type 19) to the envelope. GB KGVI stamps on the front and back of the cover are cancelled by Donaldson Type 9 dated 6 MAY 48. Lack of Registration Labels did not last long, I have seen mail from June 1948 carrying U.K-style registration labels, pre-printed BAHRAIN. | £ 25 Sold |
| Postage Due Horseshoes - Donaldson Type 20 and variant | ||
| Harmers Auction 18/12/2001 lot # 824 records the half moon Due mark on an incoming 1938 cover, estimated at £440 (plus commission, etc). Harmers descriptions does not identify which (large or small) handstamp. To me looks like the larger, less rare strike.
Lot #828 records another strike on an outgoing 1942 cover , estimated at £150 (+ commission, etc) | ||
| BPH5/10 | 1902 cover to Muscat, roughly opened and with some bookworm damage (view) but an absolute gem !!! Postage paid by KE VII 1/2Anna x 4, cancelled by strikes of the continental c.d.s. dated 11 NO 02 (Donaldson Type 4) (view). This was insufficient and attracted a 2 Annas postage due "fine". The Postage Due mark is the small (18mm dia) horseshoe (view) , initially recorded for Muscat but not for Bahrain. The "horseshoe" on this cover is illustrated on page 13 of Donaldson's Supplement. This cover may be unique. | £ 380 Sold |
| BPH5/11 | 1944 foolscap cover to Bombay, India with vertical crease which does not affect the stamps of markings. Postage is paid by KG VI 1/2A and 2As of the 1938 issue, cancelled by a single strike of the duplex cancellation (Donaldson Type 8 with hyphenated BAHRAIN-AIR and no time). Postage was initially judged insufficient and the large (25mm dia)horseshoe Postage Due cachet (Donaldson Type 20) was applied and "priced" in pencil as "-/4/-" (- Rupees / 4 Annas / - Pies ). View. The handstamp and the pricing were apparently cancelled by pencil which has subsequently been erased. My guess is that the postage due would be appropriate for airmail but as this envelope is not intended for airmail then the stamps are sufficient i.e. post office mistake.
There is also a hexagonal C / 8 handstamp of which I know nothing !! Use of the Postage Due cachet is extemely rare. Usage and subsequent cancellation even rarer. | £ 110 Sold |
| BPH5/12 | 1952 airmail cover from U.K. View. Insufficiently pre-paid and this condition identified by the international hexagonal boxed T/30C handstamp which then prompted the straight line Surcharge ........Annas To Pay handstamp. This handstamp (or extremely similar) is recorded in use on mail from U.K. for delivery in Kuwait but is previously unrecorded in connection with Bahrain. I am not certain that the h/s was applied in Bahrain. It just might have been applied in the U.K. sorting office. Regardless of where it was used, it is very scarce on mail to Bahrain. | £ 70 Sold |
| BPH5/13 | 1965 airmail cover from U.K. Insufficiently pre-paid and this condition identified by the GB hexagonal boxed T/2D handstamp which then prompted the straight line Arabic "postage due" handstamp. View. The Arabic has been translated for me as "Prepaid postage is insufficient. Penalty to be claimed from addressee". I have not seen any other copy of this handstamp and I would be interested to know if anyone else has examples or information about it. | £ 50 Sold |
| BPH5/14 | 1985 meter-mail cover from U.K. Insufficiently pre-paid and this condition identified by the Glasgow boxed handstamp annotated T 20/22. This prompted the Bahrain steel (?) postage due handstamp, inscribed in English and Arabic. Vertical fold does not affect the good strike. View. | £ 16 Sold |
