Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
31 January 1855
Description
India, 1854, ½a Blue, Die II (2D; SG 6). Stone "C", two singles, Positions 15 and 25, both with huge to large margins, tied by dotted diamond cancels on 1855 folded letter to Calcutta, red framed "Cuttack/18__/Paid" handstamp (Giles 3) with manuscript "31/1/55" date added despatch on back, red Calcutta arrival backstamp, Very Fine and choice, with 1991 B.P.A. certificate
Auction
Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5, Lot 61, (2025)
Provenance
Magnolia
Certificates
Same office
Other recorded marks at Cuttack
3 marks3 other pre-1854 postal markings of Cuttack are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Cuttack pre stamp cover
COV-2673 is a Cuttack pre stamp cover of 31 January 1855 bearing the Cuttack HG 3 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Cuttack postal history, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, 1854, ½a Blue, Die II (2D; SG 6). Stone "C", two singles, Positions 15 and 25, both with huge to large margins, tied by dotted diamond cancels on 1855 folded letter to Calcutta, red framed "Cuttack/18__/Paid" handstamp (Giles 3) with manuscript "31/1/55" date added despatch on back, red Calcutta arrival backstamp, Very Fine and choice, with 1991 B.P.A. certificate
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5 lot 61 (2025).
2 images of COV-2673 are recorded (front, back); the Cuttack HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1832–1855.
Questions about COV-2673
- What is COV-2673?
- COV-2673 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Cuttack, Bengal Presidency of 31 January 1855, bearing the Cuttack HG 3 handstamp in black. India, 1854, ½a Blue, Die II (2D; SG 6). Stone "C", two singles, Positions 15 and 25, both with huge to large margins, tied by dotted diamond cancels on 1855 folded letter to Calcutta, red framed "Cuttack/18__/Paid" handstamp (Giles 3) with manuscript "31/1/55" date added despatch on back, red Calcutta arrival backstamp, Very Fine and choice, with 1991 B.P.A. certificate
- How scarce is the Cuttack HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Cuttack HG 3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1832–1855.
- What is the provenance of COV-2673?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5 lot 61 (2025).
- When was COV-2673 posted?
- COV-2673 is dated 31 January 1855, within the recorded period of use of Cuttack HG 3 (1832–1855).
About this record
This 31 January 1855 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Cuttack HG 3 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5, lot 61, (2025).