Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Date
1838
Description
1838 (11 Jan.) entire letter from Robert Paton at Calcutta "p Steamer via Bombay" to Major-General Sir R.H. Cunliffe in Wales, carried on the Hugh Lindsay to Suez, then by Admiralty Packet Blazer to Gibraltar and then Iberia to London, rated "2/6" and showing oval-framed "india" in black (rare), Calcutta Steam Letter datestamp on reverse.
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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-1897 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1838 bearing the Calcutta SD12 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Calcutta postal history — the office known today as Kolkata, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
1838 (11 Jan.) entire letter from Robert Paton at Calcutta "p Steamer via Bombay" to Major-General Sir R.H. Cunliffe in Wales, carried on the Hugh Lindsay to Suez, then by Admiralty Packet Blazer to Gibraltar and then Iberia to London, rated "2/6" and showing oval-framed "india" in black (rare), Calcutta Steam Letter datestamp on reverse.
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink 18029 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale lot 703.
1 image of COV-1897 is recorded; the Calcutta SD12 mark itself is recorded in use 1837–1851.
Questions about COV-1897
- What is COV-1897?
- COV-1897 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1838, bearing the Calcutta SD12 handstamp in red. 1838 (11 Jan.) entire letter from Robert Paton at Calcutta "p Steamer via Bombay" to Major-General Sir R.H. Cunliffe in Wales, carried on the Hugh Lindsay to Suez, then by Admiralty Packet Blazer to Gibraltar and then Iberia to London, rated "2/6" and showing oval-framed "india" in black (rare), Calcutta Steam Letter datestamp on reverse.
- How scarce is the Calcutta SD12 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SD12 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1837–1851.
- What is the provenance of COV-1897?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink 18029 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale lot 703.
- When was COV-1897 posted?
- COV-1897 is dated 1838, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD12 (1837–1851).
About this record
This 1838 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SD12 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 29 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, 18029 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale, lot 703.