1924 - Philately Reaches New Heights
The Famous Blue Label
Although the precise number of postcards sent back from India is unknown, the figure '40,000' is often mentioned. If this figure is accurate, then in excess of 1,000 sheets of 36 labels would have been needed. The original setting of the sheet was changed a number of times, indicating that the plate was well used.
It is recorded by Waterfall that significant numbers of unused sheets were left over after the Expedition, so the actual number of sheets produced could well have been much higher.
Today, complete sheets - particularly with original gum - are rare.
The design features the 1922 Base Camp, with the names of the the three countries connected with the Expedition - Tibet and Nepal, whose border Everest straddles, and Sikkim through which the Expedition would pass.
Savastikas (Sanskrit symbols of good luck, which were later adapted by the Nazis as their Swastika) appear in each of the 4 corners. The label is dated '1924' in the bottom panel. The label is known to have been printed in two different shades.
The label has not been found on correspondence sent by climbing members, and it is presumed that its use was reserved for subscribers' mail..
Covers bearing only the label (i.e. without Indian stamps) exist. It is believed that they were affixed to show that the cover was connected to the expedition, and were not an indication that the label had prepaid any postal charges.
The Everest 1924 Label - a complete sheet
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