Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
1844
Description
SCARCE VIA MARSEILLES GOVERNMENT EXPRESS LETTER; Feb. 1844 EL to Bordeaux endorsed 'p Government Express via Marseilles' with framed "INDIA" and Marseilles transit d.s. on front. Rear with framed "STEAM POSTAGE '9'/INLAND De '1-10'/TOTAL '2-7'" h.s. on rear. Fine to very fine example. Cross Reference: EXPRESS MAIL
Auction
Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History, Lot 714, (2020)
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-4871 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1844 bearing the Calcutta SD13 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?
SCARCE VIA MARSEILLES GOVERNMENT EXPRESS LETTER; Feb. 1844 EL to Bordeaux endorsed 'p Government Express via Marseilles' with framed "INDIA" and Marseilles transit d.s. on front. Rear with framed "STEAM POSTAGE '9'/INLAND De '1-10'/TOTAL '2-7'" h.s. on rear. Fine to very fine example. Cross Reference: EXPRESS MAIL
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History lot 714 (2020).
1 image of COV-4871 is recorded; the Calcutta SD13 mark itself is recorded in use 1837–1853.
Questions about COV-4871
- What is COV-4871?
- COV-4871 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1844, bearing the Calcutta SD13 handstamp in red. SCARCE VIA MARSEILLES GOVERNMENT EXPRESS LETTER; Feb. 1844 EL to Bordeaux endorsed 'p Government Express via Marseilles' with framed "INDIA" and Marseilles transit d.s. on front. Rear with framed "STEAM POSTAGE '9'/INLAND De '1-10'/TOTAL '2-7'" h.s. on rear. Fine to very fine example. Cross Reference: EXPRESS MAIL
- How scarce is the Calcutta SD13 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SD13 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1837–1853.
- What is the provenance of COV-4871?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History lot 714 (2020).
- When was COV-4871 posted?
- COV-4871 is dated 1844, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD13 (1837–1853).
About this record
This 1844 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SD13 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 16 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History, lot 714, (2020).