Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
13 November 1795
Description
India, Calcutta, 1795, "G.P.O" Handstamp (Giles G1). Bold strike with manuscript "13 Nov" date added and applied on 1795 folded cover from Berhampore to Calcutta, faint though legible "BERHAMPORE/POSTPAID" two-line handstamp (Giles 1a) on back, manuscript "2a" rate marking, cover with mild overall toning, Very Fine, an exceptional combination of these two very rare postal markings, both markings are one of only two examples recorded of each, Giles only recorded "1 example" for the Calcutta marking based only on the example he had in his own collection, the example offered here being a superior strike
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10054, (2026)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Calcutta
183 marks183 other pre-1854 postal markings of Calcutta are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Calcutta HG 1handstampBlack1775–1787
- Calcutta HG 1ahandstampBlack1775–1786
- Calcutta HG 2handstampBlack1775–1787
- Calcutta HG 3handstampBlack1776–1789
- Calcutta HG 4handstampBlack1787
- Calcutta HG 5handstampBlack1788
+177 more at this office.View all Calcutta marks and postal history →
About this Calcutta pre stamp cover
COV-5349 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 13 November 1795 bearing the Calcutta G1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Calcutta postal history — the office known today as Kolkata, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Calcutta, 1795, "G.P.O" Handstamp (Giles G1). Bold strike with manuscript "13 Nov" date added and applied on 1795 folded cover from Berhampore to Calcutta, faint though legible "BERHAMPORE/POSTPAID" two-line handstamp (Giles 1a) on back, manuscript "2a" rate marking, cover with mild overall toning, Very Fine, an exceptional combination of these two very rare postal markings, both markings are one of only two examples recorded of each, Giles only recorded "1 example" for the Calcutta marking based only on the example he had in his own collection, the example offered here being a superior strike
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026) lot 10054 (2026).
2 images of COV-5349 are recorded; the Calcutta G1 mark itself is recorded in use 1791.
Questions about COV-5349
- What is COV-5349?
- COV-5349 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 13 November 1795, bearing the Calcutta G1 handstamp in black. India, Calcutta, 1795, "G.P.O" Handstamp (Giles G1). Bold strike with manuscript "13 Nov" date added and applied on 1795 folded cover from Berhampore to Calcutta, faint though legible "BERHAMPORE/POSTPAID" two-line handstamp (Giles 1a) on back, manuscript "2a" rate marking, cover with mild overall toning, Very Fine, an exceptional combination of these two very rare postal markings, both markings are one of only two examples recorded of each, Giles only recorded "1 example" for the Calcutta marking based only on the example he had in his own collection, the example offered here being a superior strike
- How scarce is the Calcutta G1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta G1 as 2 examples recorded, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1791.
- What is the provenance of COV-5349?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026) lot 10054 (2026).
- When was COV-5349 posted?
- COV-5349 is dated 13 November 1795, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta G1 (1791).
About this record
This 13 November 1795 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta G1 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark with 2 examples recorded in this census — one of 2 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), lot 10054, (2026).