Title: Original 1934 Rangoon to Upper Chindwin British Colonial Postcard Invoice Document
Format: Authentic Interwar Period Multilingual Commercial Document / Postal History Cover (Double-Sided Leaf)
Date of Postmark: 12th August 1934 (Invoice dated 4th August 1934)
Pre-War British Colonial Postal History Overview
Available for immediate purchase is an exceptionally rare, historically significant commercial postcard invoice document officially posted during the interwar British colonial administration in Burma. Generated on 4th August 1934 at Invoice No. 331 through the Rangoon trading offices of the firm C.V. Galliara, this unique document was formatted directly onto a postal leaf and dispatched inland through the colonial mail network.
The address face maps out the complete postal transit of the card through the regional networks of central and northern Burma. The card features its original, cleanly affixed British India Nine Pies slate-grey King George V definitive stamp. The stamp is cancelled alongside two wonderfully distinct, crisp hand-stamped circular postal markers:
- Monywa Sub-Office Ring Stamp: Documenting transit through the pivotal commercial hub on the Lower Chindwin River.
- Maukka-Daw / Upper Chindwin Primary Ring Stamp: Officially dated 12th August 1934, registering final delivery to the remote northern outpost.
The card is beautifully addressed in copperplate English cursive to merchant U Tha Su, General Merchant, Maukka-Daw (Upper Chindwin). The reverse face showcases a fascinating multilingual intersection of colonial commerce, with corporate English headers framing an extensive, itemised invoice ledger completed entirely by hand in traditional Burmese script cursive ink, validated with a bold signature from the branch manager. Because the intense fighting and widespread burning of towns along the Chindwin River valleys during the 1942–1945 campaigns destroyed almost all civilian postal and business archives, original 1930s survivors from remote Upper Chindwin destinations are critically scarce. This piece represents an exceptional primary source artifact for philatelic specialists, river transport historians, and specialised ephemera collectors.
Documented Wholesale Cargo Inventory & Translation:
The internal handwritten ledger precisely tracks a wholesale commercial shipment mapping out specific regional credits, unit costs, and total balance calculations in British Indian colonial Rupees and Annas down to a grand total due of 152 Rupees. The entry translates as follows:
- Header Registry: Addressed to buyer U Thein trading out of the Mawlaik-Kalei regional river bazaar outpost.
- Line Entry 1: 400 units of Medicine / Medicinal Apothecary Products (ဆေး - Sei), calculated at 64 Rupees, 25 Annas.
- Line Entry 2: 50 units of Coloured Dress/Shirt Laundry Soaps (အကျီ င်္ ဆပ်ပြာ ကာလာ - Amsyi Sapyar Kar-Lhar), used by local cloth merchants for dye-fixing, calculated at 7 Rupees, 5 Annas.
- Brought Forward Balance: Marks a previous carrying amount (ယခင်ငွေ - Yakin Ngwe) of 25 Rupees.
- Official Firm Storefront Address: Housed at C.V. Galliara Fabric Dyes & Medicine Shop, No. 55, 26th Street, Rangoon City.
Structural Condition Report — Good Vintage Grade
- Postal Marks, Stamps, & Typography: The intact King George V postage stamp is structurally secure with complete perimeters. Both circular hand-stamped postmarks are sharp, legible, and highly distinct. The handwritten English address and the reverse Burmese script bookkeeping entries retain excellent visual contrast.
- Paper Preservation & Margins: The card remains flat, dry, and continuous. The utility mid-century paper stock shows expected, uniform paper age-toning (natural paper tanning) typical for 1930s Asian trading documents. Tracks a gentle, historical horizontal storage crease line across the centre axis and standard light corner tip wear consistent with careful archiving over the decades, completely clear of modern ballpoint modifications or liquid damp defects.
Shipping & Packaging
This highly collectible piece of colonial postal history will be handled with strict preservation care. The double-sided card will be enclosed inside a protective archival waterproof sleeve and securely sandwiched between thick, rigid cardboard stabilising sheets to guarantee absolute perimeter edge and corner defence against bending during tracked transit. Dispatched via a fully tracked courier service. Full worldwide international shipping is entirely supported.