Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
8 December 1851
Description
India, Calcutta, 1851, "Calcutta G.P.O., E.D." Circular Handstamp (Giles G17a). Bold and petite strike in red on back of small registered cover to Madras, sender's directive "Pr Str Oriental" , red Calcutta Dec. 8, 1851 despatch datestamp on back, red framed "PAID" handstamp, cover with edgewear, Very Fine strike, quite possibly the only recorded example of this marking, a similar strike is known with "I.D." (only two examples of that marking is recorded), the theory is that they stood for "Internal Delivery" and "External Delivery"
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10055, (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-5268 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 8 December 1851 bearing the Calcutta G17a handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Calcutta postal history — the office known today as Kolkata, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Calcutta, 1851, "Calcutta G.P.O., E.D." Circular Handstamp (Giles G17a). Bold and petite strike in red on back of small registered cover to Madras, sender's directive "Pr Str Oriental" , red Calcutta Dec. 8, 1851 despatch datestamp on back, red framed "PAID" handstamp, cover with edgewear, Very Fine strike, quite possibly the only recorded example of this marking, a similar strike is known with "I.D." (only two examples of that marking is recorded), the theory is that they stood for "Internal Delivery" and "External Delivery"
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 10055 (2026).
2 images of COV-5268 are recorded; the Calcutta G17a mark itself is recorded in use 1851.
Questions about COV-5268
- What is COV-5268?
- COV-5268 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 8 December 1851, bearing the Calcutta G17a handstamp in red. India, Calcutta, 1851, "Calcutta G.P.O., E.D." Circular Handstamp (Giles G17a). Bold and petite strike in red on back of small registered cover to Madras, sender's directive "Pr Str Oriental" , red Calcutta Dec. 8, 1851 despatch datestamp on back, red framed "PAID" handstamp, cover with edgewear, Very Fine strike, quite possibly the only recorded example of this marking, a similar strike is known with "I.D." (only two examples of that marking is recorded), the theory is that they stood for "Internal Delivery" and "External Delivery"
- How scarce is the Calcutta G17a mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta G17a as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1851.
- What is the provenance of COV-5268?
- 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 10055 (2026).
- When was COV-5268 posted?
- COV-5268 is dated 8 December 1851, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta G17a (1851).
About this record
This 8 December 1851 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta G17a handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. 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 10055, (2026).