A cover with the “Bombay cover “

A cover from Czech Republic with the Bombay cover MS :) 

The Bombay cover is famous due to the two rare Mauritius post office 1-penny stamps and its unique wide margin. The sender of this mail was unknown till 1976. The cover was mailed on Jan. 4, 1850 by Reverend L. Banks living in Mauritius to Auxiliary Bible Society in Bombay. The envelope shows the strikes of the Port Luis postmarks.

The cover is considered anaristocrat of Philately for many reasons : 

First it was sent in 1850, three years after the issue (all other covers were posted in 1847); 

Second, it was sent eastbound, to Bombay (all the other covers were either used on the island (including a large piece with  the 2d) or to Bordeaux. 

Third, the quality of the stamps is remarkable: each has four large even margins, very unusual for this issue, and brilliant original colour. Finally, the two stamps differ in impression: the right one is very sharp and clear, the left one a bit heavier and slightly lighter in colour.

The cover was discovered in an Indian bazaar in 1897 and has since then passed many hands and is right now in the possession of an unidentified Czech philatelist. The cover was on display at the Praga specialised world stamp exhibition held in August 2018. This souvenir is issued by the Czech Post; this sheet illustrated the design and motif of the stamp and the historical map. 

This exuberant masterpiece of philatelic wonder was created by the graphic designer Kamil Knotek. This sheet gives a unique chance to collect the replica of the most famous stamp which is one of the most expensive philatelic products in the world. 

Date of issue - 08.08.2018

The postmark on the cover is also significant . An occasional postmark with the text "Postage History Day PRAGA 2018, Prague 8" and the postmark image is a post carriage. It was one of the postmarks designed specifically for the stamp exhibition and available only for one day ( 17-8-2018 ) 

The formation of the Czechoslovak state in late October and early November 1918 led to changes of not only political and legal but also economic and administration nature. The latter directly affected the way of organising and controlling of postal services. All postal, telegraph, telephone and radio communication services were transferred under the Czechoslovak Ministry of Post and Telegraph Offices set up on 13 November 1918. The establishment of an independent ministry for communication services that used to be controlled by the Austrian (Cisleithanian) Ministry of Trade was intended to underline their growing social and economic importance and improve their quality.

 The mail coaches were initially used during 1918 for few decades . 

Thanks Alexander for the cover !