Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Description
India, Calcutta, ca. 1790s, "G.P.O./DECr/Pt Pd" Oval Handstamp (Giles 10). Clear handstamp with manuscript "23" date and " 1-1" rate added on back of petite ca. 1790s folded cover to Hyderabad, manuscript "Ganjam 28 Decr" transit notation, cover with small flap flaw due to opening, Very Fine
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10051, (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-5265 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 2026 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, Calcutta, ca. 1790s, "G.P.O./DECr/Pt Pd" Oval Handstamp (Giles 10). Clear handstamp with manuscript "23" date and " 1-1" rate added on back of petite ca. 1790s folded cover to Hyderabad, manuscript "Ganjam 28 Decr" transit notation, cover with small flap flaw due to opening, Very Fine
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 10051 (2026).
2 images of COV-5265 are recorded; the Calcutta HG 10 mark itself is recorded in use 1788–1820.
Questions about COV-5265
- What is COV-5265?
- COV-5265 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 2026, bearing the Calcutta HG 10 handstamp in black. India, Calcutta, ca. 1790s, "G.P.O./DECr/Pt Pd" Oval Handstamp (Giles 10). Clear handstamp with manuscript "23" date and " 1-1" rate added on back of petite ca. 1790s folded cover to Hyderabad, manuscript "Ganjam 28 Decr" transit notation, cover with small flap flaw due to opening, Very Fine
- 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-5265?
- 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 10051 (2026).
About this record
This pre-1854 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 18 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 10051, (2026).