COV-4911
21 December 1839 Calcutta SD11 Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Private
Date
21 December 1839
Description
The letter was sent with Tamerlane ship, captain McKenzie, as written in the front of the letter. She arrived at Liverpool on 21 Dec 1839. The date-stamp of 23 Dec is the London one. The letter was charged for 8 pence, and this is the most interesting part. The Act 5 & 6 William IV, cap 25 (effective from 21 Aug 1835) enacted the rate for incoming ship letters from East Indies at 4d plus inland rates (in our example Liverpool-London). The British Treasury Warrant of 22 Nov 1839 (effective from 5 Dec 1839) introduced the so called Uniform Fourpenny Post and confirmed the previous East Indies ship rates. So 4d (incoming ship letter) + 4d (uniform fourpenny for Liverpool-London) = 8d. The Uniform Fourpenny Post lasted only from 5 Dec 1839 to 9 Jan 1840.
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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-4911 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 21 December 1839 bearing the Calcutta SD11 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?
The letter was sent with Tamerlane ship, captain McKenzie, as written in the front of the letter. She arrived at Liverpool on 21 Dec 1839. The date-stamp of 23 Dec is the London one. The letter was charged for 8 pence, and this is the most interesting part. The Act 5 & 6 William IV, cap 25 (effective from 21 Aug 1835) enacted the rate for incoming ship letters from East Indies at 4d plus inland rates (in our example Liverpool-London). The British Treasury Warrant of 22 Nov 1839 (effective from 5 Dec 1839) introduced the so called Uniform Fourpenny Post and confirmed the previous East Indies ship rates. So 4d (incoming ship letter) + 4d (uniform fourpenny for Liverpool-London) = 8d. The Uniform Fourpenny Post lasted only from 5 Dec 1839 to 9 Jan 1840.
1 image of COV-4911 is recorded (front); the Calcutta SD11 mark itself is recorded in use 1837–1855.
Questions about COV-4911
- What is COV-4911?
- COV-4911 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 21 December 1839, bearing the Calcutta SD11 handstamp in black. The letter was sent with Tamerlane ship, captain McKenzie, as written in the front of the letter. She arrived at Liverpool on 21 Dec 1839. The date-stamp of 23 Dec is the London one. The letter was charged for 8 pence, and this is the most interesting part. The Act 5 & 6 William IV, cap 25 (effective from 21 Aug 1835) enacted the rate for incoming ship letters from East Indies at 4d plus inland rates (in our example Liverpool-London). The British Treasury Warrant of 22 Nov 1839 (effective from 5 Dec 1839) introduced the so called Uniform Fourpenny Post and confirmed the previous East Indies ship rates. So 4d (incoming ship letter) + 4d (uniform fourpenny for Liverpool-London) = 8d. The Uniform Fourpenny Post lasted only from 5 Dec 1839 to 9 Jan 1840.
- How scarce is the Calcutta SD11 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SD11 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1837–1855.
- When was COV-4911 posted?
- COV-4911 is dated 21 December 1839, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD11 (1837–1855).
About this record
This 21 December 1839 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SD11 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 19 surviving covers with this mark recorded.