Nepal 1981 Postage Stamp Centenary First Day Cover (July 16, 1981)

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This is an Official First Day Cover (FDC) from Nepal, issued in 1981 to commemorate the Centenary of Nepalese Postage Stamps (1881–1981).

The cover features a miniature sheet (souvenir sheet, Scott #MS414 or SG MS414) with three stamps reproducing Nepal's first postage stamps from 1881 (the classic "Sri Gunj" or crown and crossed khukris design):

10p stamp (blue): Reproduction of the original 1 anna stamp.
80p stamp (purple): Reproduction of the original 2 annas stamp.
Rs. 3.40 stamp (green): Reproduction of the original 4 annas stamp.

Each small stamp within the sheet shows the central emblem of a crown (symbolizing national unity) flanked by crossed khukris (traditional Nepali knives), with inscriptions in Devanagari script for "Sri Gorakha Sarkar" (Shri Gorkha Government) and value. The surrounding brown-bordered sheet includes bilingual text "POSTAGE STAMP CENTENARY 1881-1981" in English and Nepali, plus a national emblem (sword and khukri crossed beneath a bird, likely the garuda or royal symbol) at the top.

The envelope is plain or lightly illustrated, with trilingual inscriptions in Nepali and English: "प्रथम दिवसीय आवरण" (First Day Cover), "शतवार्षिकी हुलाक टिकट" (Postage Stamp Centenary), and cachet elements showing enlarged reproductions of the original 1881 stamps in blue, red, and green. Postmark is a hexagonal "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" cancel from G.P.O. Kathmandu, dated around mid-1981 (likely July 16, 1981, based on issue records; some covers show related exhibition ties to December 1981 NEPAL-81 event).

Nepal's first stamps were issued in April 1881 as a set of three (1, 2, and 4 annas) for internal use, marking the start of organized postal service under the Rana regime. This 1981 issue celebrates that milestone with "stamp-on-stamp" reproductions, popular among philatelists for its historical theme, miniature sheet format, and cultural symbolism. Often collected with the separate set of three stamps (Scott #392-394) or exhibition souvenirs.