Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1846
Description
India, Calcutta, 1846-47, Two Folded Letters from Calcutta to Switzerland. Two folded letters from Calcutta to Switzerland with sender's directive via the Steamer Bentnick, one addressed to Geneva and the other to Basel, both routed via Marseilles, Calcutta despatch datestamps on back and with red framed "INDIA" handstamps, both with proper transit and arrival datestamps, Very Fine, a scarce pair of covers to an uncommon destination during this time period
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10050, (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-5317 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1846 bearing the Calcutta SD17 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?
India, Calcutta, 1846-47, Two Folded Letters from Calcutta to Switzerland. Two folded letters from Calcutta to Switzerland with sender's directive via the Steamer Bentnick, one addressed to Geneva and the other to Basel, both routed via Marseilles, Calcutta despatch datestamps on back and with red framed "INDIA" handstamps, both with proper transit and arrival datestamps, Very Fine, a scarce pair of covers to an uncommon destination during this time period
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 10050 (2026).
4 images of COV-5317 are recorded; the Calcutta SD17 mark itself is recorded in use 1846–1856.
Questions about COV-5317
- What is COV-5317?
- COV-5317 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1846, bearing the Calcutta SD17 handstamp in red. India, Calcutta, 1846-47, Two Folded Letters from Calcutta to Switzerland. Two folded letters from Calcutta to Switzerland with sender's directive via the Steamer Bentnick, one addressed to Geneva and the other to Basel, both routed via Marseilles, Calcutta despatch datestamps on back and with red framed "INDIA" handstamps, both with proper transit and arrival datestamps, Very Fine, a scarce pair of covers to an uncommon destination during this time period
- How scarce is the Calcutta SD17 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SD17 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1846–1856.
- What is the provenance of COV-5317?
- 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 10050 (2026).
- When was COV-5317 posted?
- COV-5317 is dated 1846, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD17 (1846–1856).
About this record
This 1846 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SD17 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 17 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 10050, (2026).