Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
4 March 1844
Description
India, Colgong, 1844, "COLGONG/FREE" Oval Handstamp (Giles 1 -- Unrecorded). Clear strike in red with manuscript "6 March 44" date added on back of folded letter datelined "Camp Carrigollah Chat, Left bank of the Ganges, March 4th 1844", addressed to "The Honble J.H. Maddock" in Calcutta, endorsed "Free" at top, framed "AM" handstamp, Calcutta arrival backstamp, minor edgewear at bottom, Very Fine, this is unrecorded by Giles though updated on the digitized listing of the Giles catalogue (www.handstruckstampsindia.com), quite possibly the only known example of this strike
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10072, (2026)
About this Colgong pre stamp cover
COV-5352 is a Colgong pre stamp cover of 4 March 1844 bearing the Colgong HG 1 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Colgong postal history — the office known today as Kahalgaon, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Colgong, 1844, "COLGONG/FREE" Oval Handstamp (Giles 1 -- Unrecorded). Clear strike in red with manuscript "6 March 44" date added on back of folded letter datelined "Camp Carrigollah Chat, Left bank of the Ganges, March 4th 1844", addressed to "The Honble J.H. Maddock" in Calcutta, endorsed "Free" at top, framed "AM" handstamp, Calcutta arrival backstamp, minor edgewear at bottom, Very Fine, this is unrecorded by Giles though updated on the digitized listing of the Giles catalogue (www.handstruckstampsindia.com), quite possibly the only known example of this strike
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 10072 (2026).
2 images of COV-5352 are recorded; the Colgong HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1844–1845.
Questions about COV-5352
- What is COV-5352?
- COV-5352 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Colgong, Bengal Presidency of 4 March 1844, bearing the Colgong HG 1 handstamp in red. India, Colgong, 1844, "COLGONG/FREE" Oval Handstamp (Giles 1 -- Unrecorded). Clear strike in red with manuscript "6 March 44" date added on back of folded letter datelined "Camp Carrigollah Chat, Left bank of the Ganges, March 4th 1844", addressed to "The Honble J.H. Maddock" in Calcutta, endorsed "Free" at top, framed "AM" handstamp, Calcutta arrival backstamp, minor edgewear at bottom, Very Fine, this is unrecorded by Giles though updated on the digitized listing of the Giles catalogue (www.handstruckstampsindia.com), quite possibly the only known example of this strike
- How scarce is the Colgong HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Colgong HG 1 as 1 example recorded, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1844–1845.
- What is the provenance of COV-5352?
- 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 10072 (2026).
- When was COV-5352 posted?
- COV-5352 is dated 4 March 1844, within the recorded period of use of Colgong HG 1 (1844–1845).
About this record
This 4 March 1844 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Colgong HG 1 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark with 1 example recorded in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. 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 10072, (2026).