COV-2421
16 January 1836 Calcutta G9 Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Corinphila Auctions
Date
16 January 1836
Description
Indian Post Office 1836 (Jan 16): Entire letter from Kathmandu to Calcutta written by the British Resident in Nepal, Brian H. Hodgson to Calcutta brilliantly struck on reverse with octagonal framed "NIPAUL / POST OFFICE / POST FREE" handstamp in brown with manuscript rate (9 annas) alongside and date (Jan 17) below. "Calcutta / GPO" arrival cds (Jan 24) in red below. Despite the period of use of this handstamp (1816-1836), examples are exceedingly rare. A magnificent entire - the latest recorded date of use of the first handstamp.rnrnNote: Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801-1894) was initially the Postmaster (1824) and assistant British Resident in Nepal (1825) and British Resident from 1833-1843. An outstanding linguist, naturalist and scholar with many species of birds named after him, he also wrote at length on Buddhism of which there is a mention in this letter and authored "Essays on Language, Literature, and Religion of Nepal and Tibet" published in 1874.rnProvenance: Cavendish, Derby, 31 Oct 1995, lot 340.
Auction
Same office
Other recorded marks at Calcutta
182 marks182 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
- Calcutta HG 6handstampBlack1788
- Calcutta HG 7handstampBlack1788
- Calcutta HG 8handstampBlack1788–1789
- Calcutta HG 9handstampBlack1789
- Calcutta HG 10handstampBlack1788–1820
- Calcutta HG 10ahandstampBlack1795–1817
- Calcutta HG 11handstampBlack1791–1818
- Calcutta HG 11ahandstampBlack1791–1822
- Calcutta HG 12handstampBlack1807–1818
- Calcutta HG 13handstampBlack1822–1830
- Calcutta HG 13ahandstampRed1825
- Calcutta HG 14handstampBlack1823
- Calcutta HG 15handstampBlack1815–1837
- Calcutta HG 15ahandstampBlack1817–1837
- Calcutta HG 16handstampBlack1818–1837
- Calcutta HG 16ahandstampBlack1821–1837
- Calcutta HG 17handstampBlack1833–1837
- Calcutta HG 18handstampBlack1836
- Calcutta HG 19handstampBlack1834
- Calcutta HG 20handstampBlack1830–1835
- Calcutta HG 21handstampRed1837–1845
- Calcutta HG 22handstampBlack1837–1854
- Calcutta HG 23handstampRed1838–1852
- Calcutta HG 23AhandstampRed1842
- Calcutta HG 24handstampRed1839–1851
- Calcutta HG 24AhandstampRed1838–1851
- Calcutta HG 25handstampRed1841–1851
- Calcutta HG 26handstampBlack1844–1852
- Calcutta HG 27handstampRed1847–1854
- Calcutta HG 28handstampBlack1847–1854
- Calcutta HG 29handstampRed1847-53
- Calcutta HG 29AhandstampBlack1852
- Calcutta HG 30handstampBlack1861-64
- Calcutta HG 31handstampBlue1864
- Calcutta HG 32handstampBlack1866-74
- Calcutta HG 33handstampRed1862-75
- Calcutta HG 34handstampRed1867-68
- Calcutta HG 35handstampBlack1868
- Calcutta HG 36handstamp1849–1859
- Calcutta G1handstampBlack1791
- Calcutta G2handstampRed1808-16
- Calcutta G3handstampRed1816–1820
- Calcutta G4handstampRed1821–1822
- Calcutta G5handstampRed1818-24
- Calcutta G6handstampRed1824-25
- Calcutta G7handstampRed1826
- Calcutta G8handstampBlack1825–1832
- Calcutta G10handstampBlack1830–1833
- Calcutta G11handstampBlack1832
- Calcutta G12handstampRed1834–1839
- Calcutta G13handstampRed1834-37
- Calcutta G14handstampRed1837-53
- Calcutta G15handstampRed1847–1848
- Calcutta G16handstampRed1850
- Calcutta G17handstampRed1851
- Calcutta G17ahandstampRed1851
- Calcutta G18handstampRed1851-58
- Calcutta G19handstampRed1847–1858
- Calcutta G20handstampBlack1854-57
- Calcutta G21handstampRed1855-58
- Calcutta G23handstampBlue1857–1866
- Calcutta G24handstampRed1859–1863
- Calcutta G25handstampRed1859-63
- Calcutta G26handstampBlue1859-63
- Calcutta G27handstampBlue1872
- Calcutta SD1handstampBlack1794–1795
- Calcutta SD2handstampBlack1799–1816
- Calcutta SD3handstampBlack1816
- Calcutta SD4handstampBlack1816
- Calcutta SD5handstampRed1816–1818
- Calcutta SD6handstampBlack1816–1819
- Calcutta SD7handstampRed1816–1819
- Calcutta SD8handstampBlack1820-24
- Calcutta SD8ahandstampBlack1824-25
- Calcutta SD8bhandstampBlack1825–1828
- Calcutta SD9handstampBlack1828–1834
- Calcutta SD10handstampBlack1834–1840
- Calcutta SD11handstampBlack1837–1855
- Calcutta SD12handstampRed1837–1851
- Calcutta SD13handstampRed1837–1853
- Calcutta SD14handstampRed1838–1855
- Calcutta SD15handstampRed1843–1845
- Calcutta SD16handstampRed1838-46
- Calcutta SD16ahandstampRed1846–1851
- Calcutta SD17handstampRed1846–1856
- Calcutta SD18handstampRed1851-56
- Calcutta SD19handstampRed1856
- Calcutta SD20handstampRed1845-62
- Calcutta SD20ahandstampRed1848-53
- Calcutta SD21handstampRed1847–1854
- Calcutta SD22handstampRed1851–1852
- Calcutta SD23handstampRed1853
- Calcutta SD24handstampRed1842–1854
- Calcutta SD25handstampBlack1848-54
- Calcutta SD26handstampRed1847-53
- Calcutta SD27handstampRed1857-65
- Calcutta SD28handstampRed1857–1865
- Calcutta SD29handstampBlack1857-62
- Calcutta SD30handstampBlack1857-62
- Calcutta SD31handstampRed1858-67
- Calcutta SR1handstampBlack1795
- Calcutta SR2handstampRedPre-1807
- Calcutta SR3handstampRed1807-27
- Calcutta SR4handstampRed1809
- Calcutta SR5handstampRed1826-37
- Calcutta SR6handstampBlack1807-16
- Calcutta SR7handstampBlack1816–1819
- Calcutta SR8handstampBlack1820–1821
- Calcutta SR9ahandstampBlack1821–1837
- Calcutta SR9bhandstampBlack1821–1837
- Calcutta SR10handstampBlack1835-37
- Calcutta SR11handstampBlack1827-29
- Calcutta SR12handstampBlack1827-29
- Calcutta SR13handstampBlack1827–1829
- Calcutta SR14handstampBlack1827–1829
- Calcutta SR15handstampBlack1827-29
- Calcutta SR16handstampBlack1830
- Calcutta SR17handstampBlack1830
- Calcutta SR18handstampBlack1830
- Calcutta SR19handstampBlack1830
- Calcutta SR20handstampBlack1830
- Calcutta SR21handstampBlack1830
- Calcutta SR22handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR23handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR24handstampBlack1830–1832
- Calcutta SR25handstampBlack1830–1832
- Calcutta SR26handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR27handstampBlack1832–1837
- Calcutta SR28handstampBlack1832–1837
- Calcutta SR29handstampBlack1832–1837
- Calcutta SR30handstampBlack1832-37
- Calcutta SR31handstampBlack1832-37
- Calcutta SR32handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR33handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR34handstampBlack1830–1832
- Calcutta SR35handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR36handstampBlack1830-32
- Calcutta SR37handstampBlack1832-37
- Calcutta SR38handstampBlack1832-37
- Calcutta SR39handstampBlack1832-37
- Calcutta SR40handstampBlack1832–1837
- Calcutta SR41handstampBlack1832-37
- Calcutta SR42handstampBlack1833-36
- Calcutta SR42ahandstampBlack1837–1839
- Calcutta SR43handstampBlack1837–1838
- Calcutta SR44handstampBlack1837–1845
- Calcutta SR45handstampBlack1837–1859
- Calcutta SR46handstampRed1838–1855
- Calcutta SR48handstampBlack1839–1858
- Calcutta SR49handstampBlack1841–1857
- Calcutta SR50handstampBlack1851–1861
- Calcutta SR51handstampBlack1860–1865
- Calcutta HG SRahandstampRed1821–1837
- Calcutta X1handstampBlack1775
- Calcutta X2handstampBlack1775–1776
- Calcutta X3handstampBlack1776–1784
- Calcutta X4handstampBlack1784
- Calcutta X5handstampBlack1784
- Calcutta X6handstampBlack1784
- Calcutta X7handstampBlack1777
- Calcutta X8handstampBlack1777
- Calcutta X12handstampBlack1776
- Calcutta X13handstampBlack1838–1858
- Calcutta X14handstampBlack—
- Calcutta X15handstampBlack1846–1865
- Calcutta X16handstampBlack1848-51
- Calcutta X17handstampBlack—
- Calcutta X18handstampBlack1843–1856
- Calcutta X19handstampBlack1840
- Calcutta X20handstampBlack1849
- Calcutta X21handstampBlack1849
- Calcutta X22handstampBlack1849
- Calcutta X23handstampBlack1856
- Calcutta X24handstampRed1854
- Calcutta X25handstampBlack1863–1870
- Calcutta X26handstampBlack1865
About this record
This 16 January 1836 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta G9 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 18 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, lot 340, (31 Oct 1995); Corinphila Auctions, Auctions 298-307, lot 1207.