Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1857
Description
India, Used in Burma, 1854, ½a Blue, Die I (2; SG 2). Horizontal pair, large to ample margins on each side, tied by faint but legible strikes of "B/127" cancels of Moulmein on 1857 registered cover to Calcutta, blurry red Moulmein despatch datestamp on back, manuscript "Registered letter" on front, bold strike of Calcutta Ship Letter arrival backstamp, ½a pair with slight soiling around edges from adhesive, Very Fine, the 1a paid the inland rate to Rangoon, incoming ship letter was unpaid and the 4a registry fee was paid in cash, ex Davis and Dr. Kornan
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5, Lot 199, (09/30/2025)
Provenance
ex Davis Dr. Kornan Magnolia
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-4705 is a Calcutta pre stamp cover of 1857 bearing the Calcutta SR49 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, Used in Burma, 1854, ½a Blue, Die I (2; SG 2). Horizontal pair, large to ample margins on each side, tied by faint but legible strikes of "B/127" cancels of Moulmein on 1857 registered cover to Calcutta, blurry red Moulmein despatch datestamp on back, manuscript "Registered letter" on front, bold strike of Calcutta Ship Letter arrival backstamp, ½a pair with slight soiling around edges from adhesive, Very Fine, the 1a paid the inland rate to Rangoon, incoming ship letter was unpaid and the 4a registry fee was paid in cash, ex Davis and Dr. Kornan
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5 lot 199 (09/30/2025).
2 images of COV-4705 are recorded (front, back); the Calcutta SR49 mark itself is recorded in use 1841–1857.
Questions about COV-4705
- What is COV-4705?
- COV-4705 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency of 1857, bearing the Calcutta SR49 handstamp in black. India, Used in Burma, 1854, ½a Blue, Die I (2; SG 2). Horizontal pair, large to ample margins on each side, tied by faint but legible strikes of "B/127" cancels of Moulmein on 1857 registered cover to Calcutta, blurry red Moulmein despatch datestamp on back, manuscript "Registered letter" on front, bold strike of Calcutta Ship Letter arrival backstamp, ½a pair with slight soiling around edges from adhesive, Very Fine, the 1a paid the inland rate to Rangoon, incoming ship letter was unpaid and the 4a registry fee was paid in cash, ex Davis and Dr. Kornan
- How scarce is the Calcutta SR49 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Calcutta SR49 as very common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1841–1857.
- What is the provenance of COV-4705?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5 lot 199 (09/30/2025).
- When was COV-4705 posted?
- COV-4705 is dated 1857, within the recorded period of use of Calcutta SR49 (1841–1857).
About this record
This 1857 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Calcutta SR49 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Very common” in this census — one of 9 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5, lot 199, (09/30/2025).