Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
18 May 1825
Description
India, Bhauglepoor, 1825, "BHAUGULPORE POST OFFICE/18__" Double-Oval Handstamp (Giles 4). Bold strike with manuscript "pp 12 as" rate and "18 May 1825" date added on back of folded cover "Brigadier General Walker, Per ship Connecting at St. Helena ", sender's directive originally crossed out and "Isabella" rewritten, Calcutta (May 23) and Kedgeree (May 25, Giles 2) transit backstamps, cover with small opening tears affecting Kedgeree handstamp, Very Fine strike, a truly spectacular destination for this scarce postal marking, Brigadier General Alexander Walker (1764-1831) served in the East India Company and was the Governor of St. Helena from 1823-1828
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10028, (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-5343 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 18 May 1825 bearing the Calcutta SD8a 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, Bhauglepoor, 1825, "BHAUGULPORE POST OFFICE/18__" Double-Oval Handstamp (Giles 4). Bold strike with manuscript "pp 12 as" rate and "18 May 1825" date added on back of folded cover "Brigadier General Walker, Per ship Connecting at St. Helena ", sender's directive originally crossed out and "Isabella" rewritten, Calcutta (May 23) and Kedgeree (May 25, Giles 2) transit backstamps, cover with small opening tears affecting Kedgeree handstamp, Very Fine strike, a truly spectacular destination for this scarce postal marking, Brigadier General Alexander Walker (1764-1831) served in the East India Company and was the Governor of St. Helena from 1823-1828
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 10028 (2026).
2 images of COV-5343 are recorded; the Calcutta SD8a mark itself is recorded in use 1824-25.
Questions about COV-5343
- What is COV-5343?
- COV-5343 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 18 May 1825, bearing the Calcutta SD8a handstamp in black. India, Bhauglepoor, 1825, "BHAUGULPORE POST OFFICE/18__" Double-Oval Handstamp (Giles 4). Bold strike with manuscript "pp 12 as" rate and "18 May 1825" date added on back of folded cover "Brigadier General Walker, Per ship Connecting at St. Helena ", sender's directive originally crossed out and "Isabella" rewritten, Calcutta (May 23) and Kedgeree (May 25, Giles 2) transit backstamps, cover with small opening tears affecting Kedgeree handstamp, Very Fine strike, a truly spectacular destination for this scarce postal marking, Brigadier General Alexander Walker (1764-1831) served in the East India Company and was the Governor of St. Helena from 1823-1828
- How scarce is the Calcutta SD8a mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SD8a as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1824-25.
- What is the provenance of COV-5343?
- 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 10028 (2026).
- When was COV-5343 posted?
- COV-5343 is dated 18 May 1825, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SD8a (1824-25).
About this record
This 18 May 1825 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SD8a handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 4 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 10028, (2026).