Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
20 August 1794
Description
India, Calcutta, 1794, "No./Weight oz. D/B.P. Sa. Rs." Oval Handstamp (Giles SD1). Bold and mostly clear strike on back of folded letter datelined Aug. 20, 1794, addressed to Rothesay, Scotland, sender's directive "via Glasgow" , "LONDON/SHIP LRE" two-line handstamp (Robertson S5), receipt docketing Mar. 3, 1795, manuscript "1/1" rate marking, cover with some overall soiling and some periphery tape stains, Very Fine strike, an exceptionally rare marking, Giles states "only 3 examples recorded"
Auction
Sale 9020, Lot 10021, — The Magnolia Collection Part 5
Provenance
Jagmohan Kapur Magnolia
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-214 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 20 August 1794 bearing the Calcutta SD1 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, 1794, "No./Weight oz. D/B.P. Sa. Rs." Oval Handstamp (Giles SD1). Bold and mostly clear strike on back of folded letter datelined Aug. 20, 1794, addressed to Rothesay, Scotland, sender's directive "via Glasgow" , "LONDON/SHIP LRE" two-line handstamp (Robertson S5), receipt docketing Mar. 3, 1795, manuscript "1/1" rate marking, cover with some overall soiling and some periphery tape stains, Very Fine strike, an exceptionally rare marking, Giles states "only 3 examples recorded"
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9020 lot 10021.
3 images of COV-214 are recorded (front, back); the Calcutta SD1 mark itself is recorded in use 1794–1795.
Questions about COV-214
- What is COV-214?
- COV-214 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 20 August 1794, bearing the Calcutta SD1 handstamp in black. India, Calcutta, 1794, "No./Weight oz. D/B.P. Sa. Rs." Oval Handstamp (Giles SD1). Bold and mostly clear strike on back of folded letter datelined Aug. 20, 1794, addressed to Rothesay, Scotland, sender's directive "via Glasgow" , "LONDON/SHIP LRE" two-line handstamp (Robertson S5), receipt docketing Mar. 3, 1795, manuscript "1/1" rate marking, cover with some overall soiling and some periphery tape stains, Very Fine strike, an exceptionally rare marking, Giles states "only 3 examples recorded"
- How scarce is the Calcutta SD1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SD1 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1794–1795.
- What is the provenance of COV-214?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9020 lot 10021.
- When was COV-214 posted?
- COV-214 is dated 20 August 1794, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD1 (1794–1795).
About this record
This 20 August 1794 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SD1 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — one of 6 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 9020, lot 10021.