Scan or Photo Courtesy of Santosh MS
Date
1824
Description
1824 London – Calcutta – Goruckpoor – Cawnpore entire via Cape route, received from the sender & forwarded to Calcutta by Horatio Hardy of Jerusalem Coffee House (London), privately carried & offloaded at Kedgree harbor via Cape route, sent to Calcutta from Kedgree & there Giles G6 "CALCUTTA/29 MAY 29/1825/GENERAL POST OFFICE" receipt along with Calcutta SR9 "Inld Ptg/Ship Do" hand stamp applied, single letter rate "5+2" applied & obliterated as it was a double letter "10+4" (total 14A, comprising 10A double letter inland postage to Calcutta & 4A double letter ship postage, as exceeds 1 Tolah but under 2 Tolah wt.) bearing postage applied in manuscript, which was paid by the agent Messrs Mackintosh & Co. at Calcutta. They forwarded the letter to recipient Hezekiah Clark at Goruckpoor & paid 1R6A inland postage for that as well & at GPO Giles 15a "GPO/MAY/Pt Pd" dispatch hand stamp applied, date "30.25" & rate "1R 6as" (paid 22A double letter inland postage to Goruckpoor from Calcutta) applied in manuscript. As the recipient was at Cawnpore, the letter was redirected there & for that Goruckpoor Giles 1 "GORUCKPOOR/18../POST OFFICE" dispatch hand stamp with rate "Bg from Goruckpoor 8a" (double letter inland postage from Goruckpoor to Cawnpore, written on front side) applied in manuscript. Finally delivered at Cawnpore & bearing postage of 8A collected from the recipient.
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-1628 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1824 bearing the Calcutta HG 15a 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?
1824 London – Calcutta – Goruckpoor – Cawnpore entire via Cape route, received from the sender & forwarded to Calcutta by Horatio Hardy of Jerusalem Coffee House (London), privately carried & offloaded at Kedgree harbor via Cape route, sent to Calcutta from Kedgree & there Giles G6 "CALCUTTA/29 MAY 29/1825/GENERAL POST OFFICE" receipt along with Calcutta SR9 "Inld Ptg/Ship Do" hand stamp applied, single letter rate "5+2" applied & obliterated as it was a double letter "10+4" (total 14A, comprising 10A double letter inland postage to Calcutta & 4A double letter ship postage, as exceeds 1 Tolah but under 2 Tolah wt.) bearing postage applied in manuscript, which was paid by the agent Messrs Mackintosh & Co. at Calcutta. They forwarded the letter to recipient Hezekiah Clark at Goruckpoor & paid 1R6A inland postage for that as well & at GPO Giles 15a "GPO/MAY/Pt Pd" dispatch hand stamp applied, date "30.25" & rate "1R 6as" (paid 22A double letter inland postage to Goruckpoor from Calcutta) applied in manuscript. As the recipient was at Cawnpore, the letter was redirected there & for that Goruckpoor Giles 1 "GORUCKPOOR/18../POST OFFICE" dispatch hand stamp with rate "Bg from Goruckpoor 8a" (double letter inland postage from Goruckpoor to Cawnpore, written on front side) applied in manuscript. Finally delivered at Cawnpore & bearing postage of 8A collected from the recipient.
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Giles lot 412 (Oct. 2000).
1 image of COV-1628 is recorded; the Calcutta HG 15a mark itself is recorded in use 1817–1837.
Questions about COV-1628
- What is COV-1628?
- COV-1628 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1824, bearing the Calcutta HG 15a handstamp in black. 1824 London – Calcutta – Goruckpoor – Cawnpore entire via Cape route, received from the sender & forwarded to Calcutta by Horatio Hardy of Jerusalem Coffee House (London), privately carried & offloaded at Kedgree harbor via Cape route, sent to Calcutta from Kedgree & there Giles G6 "CALCUTTA/29 MAY 29/1825/GENERAL POST OFFICE" receipt along with Calcutta SR9 "Inld Ptg/Ship Do" hand stamp applied, single letter rate "5+2" applied & obliterated as it was a double letter "10+4" (total 14A, comprising 10A double letter inland postage to Calcutta & 4A double letter ship postage, as exceeds 1 Tolah but under 2 Tolah wt.) bearing postage applied in manuscript, which was paid by the agent Messrs Mackintosh & Co. at Calcutta. They forwarded the letter to recipient Hezekiah Clark at Goruckpoor & paid 1R6A inland postage for that as well & at GPO Giles 15a "GPO/MAY/Pt Pd" dispatch hand stamp applied, date "30.25" & rate "1R 6as" (paid 22A double letter inland postage to Goruckpoor from Calcutta) applied in manuscript. As the recipient was at Cawnpore, the letter was redirected there & for that Goruckpoor Giles 1 "GORUCKPOOR/18../POST OFFICE" dispatch hand stamp with rate "Bg from Goruckpoor 8a" (double letter inland postage from Goruckpoor to Cawnpore, written on front side) applied in manuscript. Finally delivered at Cawnpore & bearing postage of 8A collected from the recipient.
- How scarce is the Calcutta HG 15a mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta HG 15a as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1817–1837.
- What is the provenance of COV-1628?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink Giles lot 412 (Oct. 2000).
- When was COV-1628 posted?
- COV-1628 is dated 1824, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta HG 15a (1817–1837).
About this record
This 1824 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta HG 15a handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 9 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, Giles, lot 412, (Oct. 2000).