COV-2350
April 1815 Calcutta Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
April 1815
Description
LONDON/CALCUTTA - 2-RING “[Crown]/POST PAID WITHDRAWN SHIP LETTER/LONDON” COVER; 2/6 Apr. 1815 E (one side-flap removed [from Inverness; a known correspondence signed by the addressee’s father - see next lot] to “Calcutta, Bengal” with a very fine large 2-ring London PPWSL1 mark across the seal (as per P.O. regulations at the time), prepaid “1/2” (a third of the single Packet Rate) with a mainly very fine red “SHIPLETTER/ Bg-Ptge/CALCUTTA” d.s. (HG SR3) alongside; probably carried on the ship ‘Sir William Pulteney’. Withdrawn Ship Letters to India are rare (they are much more common sent to Madeira or N. America). PHOTO - see below
Auction
Manning, Lot 209, (Sept. 2015)
Provenance
Michael Manning
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-2350 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of April 1815 bearing the Calcutta SR3 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?
LONDON/CALCUTTA - 2-RING “[Crown]/POST PAID WITHDRAWN SHIP LETTER/LONDON” COVER; 2/6 Apr. 1815 E (one side-flap removed [from Inverness; a known correspondence signed by the addressee’s father - see next lot] to “Calcutta, Bengal” with a very fine large 2-ring London PPWSL1 mark across the seal (as per P.O. regulations at the time), prepaid “1/2” (a third of the single Packet Rate) with a mainly very fine red “SHIPLETTER/ Bg-Ptge/CALCUTTA” d.s. (HG SR3) alongside; probably carried on the ship ‘Sir William Pulteney’. Withdrawn Ship Letters to India are rare (they are much more common sent to Madeira or N. America). PHOTO - see below
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 209 (Sept. 2015).
1 image of COV-2350 is recorded (front); the Calcutta SR3 mark itself is recorded in use 1807-27.
Questions about COV-2350
- What is COV-2350?
- COV-2350 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of April 1815, bearing the Calcutta SR3 handstamp in red. LONDON/CALCUTTA - 2-RING “[Crown]/POST PAID WITHDRAWN SHIP LETTER/LONDON” COVER; 2/6 Apr. 1815 E (one side-flap removed [from Inverness; a known correspondence signed by the addressee’s father - see next lot] to “Calcutta, Bengal” with a very fine large 2-ring London PPWSL1 mark across the seal (as per P.O. regulations at the time), prepaid “1/2” (a third of the single Packet Rate) with a mainly very fine red “SHIPLETTER/ Bg-Ptge/CALCUTTA” d.s. (HG SR3) alongside; probably carried on the ship ‘Sir William Pulteney’. Withdrawn Ship Letters to India are rare (they are much more common sent to Madeira or N. America). PHOTO - see below
- How scarce is the Calcutta SR3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SR3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1807-27.
- What is the provenance of COV-2350?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 209 (Sept. 2015).
- When was COV-2350 posted?
- COV-2350 is dated April 1815, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SR3 (1807-27).
About this record
This April 1815 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SR3 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 6 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, Manning, lot 209, (Sept. 2015).