1854, Half Anna Stamp on a Cover, Blue, Die II on Cover, dispatched to Secunderabad, printed from the "C" Stone, the stamp, obliterated by a Renouf, Cooper Type I cancellation, good condition, Very Rare.

Note: This cover and an additional stamp are excellently arranged, mounted and displayed in a collectors exhibit style.

Half Anna blue die II was printed from the C Stone. Printings were made in early August 1854 and then for a few days each in October and November of that same year. Barely over two million of the die II were printed. The stamp is less commonly used than unused and even more difficult to find on the cover.

This cover bears an interesting example of die II. The stamp, obliterated by a Renouf/ Cooper Type I cancellation, appears to be from an early printing from the C stone. This conclusion is based on the relatively rich chignon printing (some die II stamps have completely white chignons) as well as the detailed printing of several design features such as vertical rows of arches. An alternative explanation is significant retouching of the chignon, but such retouches of the C Stone are quite scarce.

Postmarks on the cover are not distinct enough to determine either its origin or when it was posted or arrived at its destination, Secunderabad.