Scan or Photo Courtesy of Grosvenor Auctions
Date
1797
Description
India: 1797 (Dec. 7) entire (in French) to Chandernagor with very fine double oval “GPO/date/pt pd” datestamp in black on reverse with content from a merchant in Calcutta concerning trade in indigo and includes a form of a contract to formalise supply and sales quoting percentages for commission and interest. Chanadernagore, a French settlement until 1950, was occupied by G.B. 1793-1816 and therefore transmitted under the British system. Photo.
Auction
GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, Lot 1065, (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-4923 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1797 bearing the Calcutta HG 10 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: 1797 (Dec. 7) entire (in French) to Chandernagor with very fine double oval “GPO/date/pt pd” datestamp in black on reverse with content from a merchant in Calcutta concerning trade in indigo and includes a form of a contract to formalise supply and sales quoting percentages for commission and interest. Chanadernagore, a French settlement until 1950, was occupied by G.B. 1793-1816 and therefore transmitted under the British system. Photo.
Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 1065 (2026).
1 image of COV-4923 is recorded; the Calcutta HG 10 mark itself is recorded in use 1788–1820.
Questions about COV-4923
- What is COV-4923?
- COV-4923 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1797, bearing the Calcutta HG 10 handstamp in black. India: 1797 (Dec. 7) entire (in French) to Chandernagor with very fine double oval “GPO/date/pt pd” datestamp in black on reverse with content from a merchant in Calcutta concerning trade in indigo and includes a form of a contract to formalise supply and sales quoting percentages for commission and interest. Chanadernagore, a French settlement until 1950, was occupied by G.B. 1793-1816 and therefore transmitted under the British system. Photo.
- How scarce is the Calcutta HG 10 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta HG 10 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1788–1820.
- What is the provenance of COV-4923?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 1065 (2026).
- When was COV-4923 posted?
- COV-4923 is dated 1797, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta HG 10 (1788–1820).
About this record
This 1797 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta HG 10 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 17 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions, GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, lot 1065, (2026).