Express Delivery Covers and Stationery

EXPRESS DELIVERY Labels

• This differs from the label on the cover below it. Notice the placement of the letters, especially the letters "E" and "D". November 1943.

• Black on red paper. This card has sending date of October 28, 1944, and a receiving date of October 29, 1944.
  The similar black on red label to the right, is actually a different size and the lettering is not as heavy, nor are the first two letters of each line aligned as the other and the sheet shown below. It is on a postal card with the same franking as the card on the left, and was posted on November 20, 1947, and reached it's destination on November 24th. This label is 30 mm. in length, whereas the one to the left is 29 mm. in length. Both are 10 mm. in heigh. Measurements are on the black lines only.
  

• Black on white paper. This envelope has a sending date of June 26, 1947, but no receiving date.

• Red on white paper. This card has a sending date of August 12, 1951, but no date of receipt.

• Red on white paper. This card has a sending date of August 12, 1951, but no date of receipt.

• September 1954 with EXPRESS DELIVERY on an arrow.

• Red outline of EXPRESS on white paper. This envelope has a sending date of July 19, 1957, with a date of receipt of July 20, 1957.

• A postal card from 1965.

• Red outline of EXPRESS DELIVERY in Hindi and English on white paper. This envelope was sent on March 10, 1970 with a receipt date of April 10, 1970, a period of one month.

• Note that the three labels in each group are different. The top labels are without serifs on the letters, the middle one with serifs and the third one is without serifs and slanted. This is one set of six that exist. The bottom label design in red and green was the accepted design.
  To the right is a copy used on a cover. The label has been torn in the wrong places and is not in the best of condition. The cover was mailed on 1 August 1956 and has a cancellation reading "AIR PORT SORTING/NEW DELHI". The reverse has a Date and cancellation of 2.8.56/D.T.O.".
  Below are the correspondence explaining the labels.
  

• From: The Master, India Security Press, Nasik Road
  To: The Director General, Posts & Telegraphs, New Delhi
  
  Re.: - Disposal of "Local Labels.
  
  In compliance with the request of the Stamp Officer, in his official letter No. H-3-2/53 dated 25-2-1953, on the above subject, to the address of the Controller of Stamps, Nasik Road, I forward herewith 6 lithoproofs each, in three different styles of lettering, of overprinting the words "EXPRESS DELIVERY" in black on "LOCAL" Labels for your approval or comments. The entire stock of 5,940 sheets (approx.) - 96 set of Local Labels can be overprinted with the words "EXPRESS DELIVERY" in any of the three letterings in which the proofs have been prepared at a total cost of Rs. 305/
  Will you please let me know your final decision in this regard at an early date?
  
  Yours faithfully,
  signature
  Master,
  India Security Press
  
  

• From: The Master, India Security Press, Nasik Road
  To: The Director General, Posts & Telegrpahs, New Delhi
  
  RE: - Disposal of "LOCAL" Labels.
  
  In acknowledging the receipt of your letter No. H.3-2'53, dated the 30th May 1953, on the above subject, I have to state that the Local Labels will now be overprinted "EXPRESS DELIVERY" in red with the slanting type of lettering as approved by you at Bonbay on 5th June 1953 and the supply made to important Post Offices in India as desired.
  2. Since writing to you on this subject vide my letter No. 13101/D-7-3 dated 20th March 1053, I havae received further supplies of Local labels from Treasuries and the stock available today for overprinting is 7,878 sheets (96 set). The following charges will, therefore, be now recovered on this account.
  
  Overprinting charge - Rs.405/ - f.o.r. Nasik Road (for overprinting
  7,878 sheets)
  
  Yours faithfully,
  signature
  Master,
  India Security Press.
  
  

• EXPRESS DELIVERY labels were placed on cards and envelopes. These labels were the means of identifying an EXPRESS DELIVERY item and were in use prior to the introduction of EXPRESS DELIVERY envelopes.
  

ESPRESS DELIVERY Slogans

• Slogans promoting EXPRESS DELIVERY. These two examples, from 1955 and 1958, were found on ordinary mail, not EXPRESS DELIVERY mail.

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• The above cover is obviously a philatelic cover, created for a collector as it is unaddressed, has an Express Delivery sticker on it and was created for the slogan cancellation. It is postmarked 20 December 1956 at Bangalore.

EXPRESS DELIVERY Envelopes

• The two basic designs of EXPRESS DELIVERY envelopes that were overprinted. Color shades are common in the envelopes as illustrated in the two examples of the newer envelope.
  The older design was printed in only one size of envelope, but there were two types of printing for "EXPRESS DELIVERY". Type B is the thinner of the two types and I believe came later than Type A.
  The newer design was printed on two sizes of envelopes. Note that the stamp image in the smaller envelope is placed lower and further to the left than it should be. This is one of many very common folding errors that make the image look as if it were printed slightly in the wrong place. This and other folding varieties are very common.
  

• A scarce SPECIMEN envelope and an albino impression Both are Type A, mentioned above.

• An albino of the smaller size of the new envelope design.

• An overinked variety of the larger size envelope with the new design.

• The envelope was posted on July 8, 1964 from an unknown site (Cancellation not readable, althought it is probably Delhi). The marking reads "Express tried article", and has control numbers stamped on it as well. Both markings are in black.
  The back of the envelope has two postmarks, both from Delhi. One is July 9th and the other, July 11th. In pencil across the top is "Firm Closed/5 mo".
  This is the only cover I have seen with this marking and I am certain most were not saved.
  

The obsolete EXPRESS DELIVERY envelopes now overprinted and surcharged.

UTTAR PRADESH: Double printing of original envelope with later black machine overprint on 28p (Type A) envelope. Note that there is no surcharge on the stamp image with this     type of overprint. The price (25p) was printed in black above the "X". There is a constant variety in the word "Envelope" The "l" looks like an "i" due to a flaw in the font. ​

• UTTAR PRADESH: Three envelopes with Double printing of the later black machine overprint on a 28p (Type A) envelope.

• UTTAR PRADESH: Type A envelope with the overprint offset on the back of the envelope.

• RAJASTHAN:Black machine obliteration and 30p surcharge on a 40p small envelope. The obliteration consists of three rows of ten floral units. Many varieties of placement exist for all the varieties of the obliterations and surcharges on the envelopes. Often the folding of the paper in the creation of the envelopes were not straight and the stamp image and the printing on the left are at angles, too high, too low, too much to the right, or left, or too far into the envlope.
  

• WEST BENGAL: Blue machine obliteration and 35p surcharge on large 40p envelopes. The envelope at the left was an albino imprint of the original printing and the right, a double overprint and surcharge.

• Left
  MAHARASHTRA: Double black machine obliteration and 25p surcharge on 28p (Type B) envelope, with one overprint inverted.
  
  Right
  RAJASTHAN: Double black machine obliteration and 25p surcharge on 28p (Type A) envelope. This obliteration consists of 30 decorative floral units, arranged in three rows of ten. This obliteration is also found on other envelopes with three rows of nine of the floral units.
  

• RAJASTHAN: The envelope to the left has an inverted black machine overprint and 25p surcharge on a 28p (Type A) envelope. The obliteration consists of three rows of ten floral units.
  The envelope on the right has a double machine printing of the obliteration and 25p surcharge on a 28p (Type A) envelope. This obliteration also consists of three rows of ten of the floral units.
  

• Left
  DELHI: Double black machine overprint and 30p surcharge on 40p large envelope. Varieties of the overprint and surcharge exist and will be illustrated in the following pages. The obliteration basically consists of three horizontal rows of five swastikas.
  
  Right
  RAJASTHAN: Double black machine printed obliteration and 25p surcharge on the 28p (Type A) envelope. The obliteration consists of three rows of ten floral units. Of greater interest is the two distince types of surcharges. Note that the "25"s are completely different and their placement below the "Five" is different. These types for this surcharge will be illustrated later.
  
  
  
  

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