Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1854
Description
India, 1854, 1a Deep Red, Die I (4a; SG 11). Large balanced margins (just the barest trace of soiling along periphery), tied by bold strike of dotted diamond cancel on 1854 folded letter to Soerbaya, Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Calcutta Oct. 19 despatch datestamp on back, Batavia (Nov. 22) arrival datestamp, red manuscript "40" rate marking, front panel with ink erosion, otherwise Very Fine, Batavia is a particularly rare destination, it is also noteworthy to mention this was used about three weeks after the 1854 Lithograph issue was issued on Oct. 1
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10131, (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-5327 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1854 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?
India, 1854, 1a Deep Red, Die I (4a; SG 11). Large balanced margins (just the barest trace of soiling along periphery), tied by bold strike of dotted diamond cancel on 1854 folded letter to Soerbaya, Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Calcutta Oct. 19 despatch datestamp on back, Batavia (Nov. 22) arrival datestamp, red manuscript "40" rate marking, front panel with ink erosion, otherwise Very Fine, Batavia is a particularly rare destination, it is also noteworthy to mention this was used about three weeks after the 1854 Lithograph issue was issued on Oct. 1
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 10131 (2026).
2 images of COV-5327 are recorded; the Calcutta SD11 mark itself is recorded in use 1837–1855.
Questions about COV-5327
- What is COV-5327?
- COV-5327 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1854, bearing the Calcutta SD11 handstamp in black. India, 1854, 1a Deep Red, Die I (4a; SG 11). Large balanced margins (just the barest trace of soiling along periphery), tied by bold strike of dotted diamond cancel on 1854 folded letter to Soerbaya, Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Calcutta Oct. 19 despatch datestamp on back, Batavia (Nov. 22) arrival datestamp, red manuscript "40" rate marking, front panel with ink erosion, otherwise Very Fine, Batavia is a particularly rare destination, it is also noteworthy to mention this was used about three weeks after the 1854 Lithograph issue was issued on Oct. 1
- 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.
- What is the provenance of COV-5327?
- 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 10131 (2026).
- When was COV-5327 posted?
- COV-5327 is dated 1854, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD11 (1837–1855).
About this record
This 1854 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 25 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 10131, (2026).