Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Date
19 July 1796
Description
India, Tanjore, 1796, "Tajore" Handstamp (Giles 1). Partial but clear straightline strike with manuscript "PP 11 Fa, 23rd Augt 96" rate and date markings on folded letter addressed to William Dick in Calcutta, partial Calcutta arrival backstamp, small opening tear at top, Fine and noted as rare by Giles, used during the Maratha period and prior to 1799 when the territory (not the city itself) was ceded to the East India Company
Auction
Provenance
Derek Hammond Giles
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-2081 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 19 July 1796 bearing the Calcutta HG 11 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, Tanjore, 1796, "Tajore" Handstamp (Giles 1). Partial but clear straightline strike with manuscript "PP 11 Fa, 23rd Augt 96" rate and date markings on folded letter addressed to William Dick in Calcutta, partial Calcutta arrival backstamp, small opening tear at top, Fine and noted as rare by Giles, used during the Maratha period and prior to 1799 when the territory (not the city itself) was ceded to the East India Company
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink lot 407 (Oct. 2000).
2 images of COV-2081 are recorded (front); the Calcutta HG 11 mark itself is recorded in use 1791–1818.
Questions about COV-2081
- What is COV-2081?
- COV-2081 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 19 July 1796, bearing the Calcutta HG 11 handstamp in black. India, Tanjore, 1796, "Tajore" Handstamp (Giles 1). Partial but clear straightline strike with manuscript "PP 11 Fa, 23rd Augt 96" rate and date markings on folded letter addressed to William Dick in Calcutta, partial Calcutta arrival backstamp, small opening tear at top, Fine and noted as rare by Giles, used during the Maratha period and prior to 1799 when the territory (not the city itself) was ceded to the East India Company
- How scarce is the Calcutta HG 11 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta HG 11 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1791–1818.
- What is the provenance of COV-2081?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink lot 407 (Oct. 2000).
- When was COV-2081 posted?
- COV-2081 is dated 19 July 1796, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta HG 11 (1791–1818).
About this record
This 19 July 1796 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta HG 11 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 16 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, lot 407, (Oct. 2000).