364 / März 2017

1839: Printed Prices Current and letter (Jan 25) from London to Guthrie & Co. in Singapore, prepaid 5/8d. in manuscript with London / F.B.O. cds of despatch in black, docketing at top right '293 /G.W.W' (Wheatley) and struck with fine CARE OF MR. WAGHORN / ALEXANDRIA in black (Sidebottom type 4b). Obverse with oval 'P-D' in red and Augustin Heard, Bombay address erased and the entire, with minor acid ink faults, forwarded on to Calcutta. Reverse with circular 'Forwarded by / Boyd & Co. / Calcutta / No. 817' Agent´s cachet in black. Docketing of receipt in Singapore (May 31) inside. A splendid and very rare entire, especially so to this destination with just 2 covers recorded by Sidebottom with Singapore as the destination. Guthrie & Co. was founded in Singapore in 1821 by Alexander Guthrie, as the first British trading company in South East Asia. Guthrie introduced rubber and oil palm in Malaysia in 1896 and 1924 respectively. Alexander Guthrie was born in Angus, Scotland, in 1796. He went to Singapore in 1821 to set up a trading branch of Thomas Talbot Harrington & Co.. Guthrie parted company with Harrington in 1823, and his company was renamed Guthrie & Company in 1833. He retired in 1847, handing the firm over to his nephew James Guthrie.​ The business was trading in British produced goods (woollens and cotton products for the Asian market and supplying Spices, tin, sugar and Opium for the British market). In 1830 Guthrie became the agent for Coutts Bank in Singapore.  

1839: Printed Prices Current and letter (April 25) from London to Guthrie & Co. in Singapore, endorsed 'Overland via Marseilles' with London cds of despatch in black, and struck three times with 'CARE OF MESSRS. WAGHORN & Co. / LONDON. ALEXANDRIA.' handstamp in black (Sidebottom type 7). Obverse with oval 'P-D' in red and manuscript 2/8 1/2d. prepaid. Restored under minor acid ink faults at lower left, clearly docketed internally as received on August 5 in Singapore. An extremely rare entire with very few recorded covers (Sidebotoom recorded 8 examples) bearing this rare handstamp with just 2 covers recorded by us with this destination. Provenance: 'Glassco' (Robson Lowe 1969)