Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1824
Description
Siegel - India, Dacca, 1824, "D.P.O." Oval Handstamp (Giles 8). Exceptional strike in transit on back of folded printed prices current in French datelined " Liverpool, le 4 Octobre, 1824", addressed to Dacca, then forwarded to Chandernagore, French India, faint strike of "KEDGREE/POST OFFICE/SHIP LETTER" (Giles S2) and red Calcutta (May 4, May 9, May 10) backstamps, Very Fine, one of the finest "D.P.O." strikes we have encountered, this strike was used on mail which went from military to civilian post offices Cavendish - LIVERPOOL/DACCA - INGOING COVER REDIRECTED WITH RARE DACCA OVAL-FRAMED “D.P.O.” MARK; Fine 4 Oct. 1824 printed Liverpool Prices Current (in French) to “Dacca” with fair boxed Kedgeree “SHIP LETTER” mark on the flap beside two large Calcutta c.d.s.’s (one with inverted month) and a superb strike of the rare 2nd- Type oval framed Dacca “D.P.O.” Mark (HG8; hand-over mark for mail transferred from Military P.O. to Civil P.O.) due to redirection to “Chandernagore” (French India). These Military P.O. Hand-over marks are seldom seen. PHOTO - see page 67.
Auction
Provenance
"Magnolia" Michael Manning
Same office
Other recorded marks at Dacca
10 marks10 other pre-1854 postal markings of Dacca are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Dacca HG 1handstampBlack1775–1783
- Dacca HG 2handstampBlack1799
- Dacca HG 3handstampBlack1806–1820
- Dacca HG 4handstampBlack1813
- Dacca HG 5handstampBlack1815–1821
- Dacca HG 6handstampBlack1820–1836
+4 more at this office.View all Dacca marks and postal history →
About this Dacca pre stamp cover
COV-400 is a Dacca pre stamp cover of 1824 bearing the Dacca HG 8 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Dacca postal history — the office known today as Dhaka, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
Siegel - India, Dacca, 1824, "D.P.O." Oval Handstamp (Giles 8). Exceptional strike in transit on back of folded printed prices current in French datelined " Liverpool, le 4 Octobre, 1824", addressed to Dacca, then forwarded to Chandernagore, French India, faint strike of "KEDGREE/POST OFFICE/SHIP LETTER" (Giles S2) and red Calcutta (May 4, May 9, May 10) backstamps, Very Fine, one of the finest "D.P.O." strikes we have encountered, this strike was used on mail which went from military to civilian post offices Cavendish - LIVERPOOL/DACCA - INGOING COVER REDIRECTED WITH RARE DACCA OVAL-FRAMED “D.P.O.” MARK; Fine 4 Oct. 1824 printed Liverpool Prices Current (in French) to “Dacca” with fair boxed Kedgeree “SHIP LETTER” mark on the flap beside two large Calcutta c.d.s.’s (one with inverted month) and a superb strike of the rare 2nd- Type oval framed Dacca “D.P.O.” Mark (HG8; hand-over mark for mail transferred from Military P.O. to Civil P.O.) due to redirection to “Chandernagore” (French India). These Military P.O. Hand-over marks are seldom seen. PHOTO - see page 67.
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 223 (Sept. 2015); and Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9042 lot 10061 (Nov. 2025).
2 images of COV-400 are recorded (front, back); the Dacca HG 8 mark itself is recorded in use 1824–1834.
Questions about COV-400
- What is COV-400?
- COV-400 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Dacca, Bengal Presidency of 1824, bearing the Dacca HG 8 handstamp in black. Siegel - India, Dacca, 1824, "D.P.O." Oval Handstamp (Giles 8). Exceptional strike in transit on back of folded printed prices current in French datelined " Liverpool, le 4 Octobre, 1824", addressed to Dacca, then forwarded to Chandernagore, French India, faint strike of "KEDGREE/POST OFFICE/SHIP LETTER" (Giles S2) and red Calcutta (May 4, May 9, May 10) backstamps, Very Fine, one of the finest "D.P.O." strikes we have encountered, this strike was used on mail which went from military to civilian post offices Cavendish - LIVERPOOL/DACCA - INGOING COVER REDIRECTED WITH RARE DACCA OVAL-FRAMED “D.P.O.” MARK; Fine 4 Oct. 1824 printed Liverpool Prices Current (in French) to “Dacca” with fair boxed Kedgeree “SHIP LETTER” mark on the flap beside two large Calcutta c.d.s.’s (one with inverted month) and a superb strike of the rare 2nd- Type oval framed Dacca “D.P.O.” Mark (HG8; hand-over mark for mail transferred from Military P.O. to Civil P.O.) due to redirection to “Chandernagore” (French India). These Military P.O. Hand-over marks are seldom seen. PHOTO - see page 67.
- How scarce is the Dacca HG 8 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Dacca HG 8 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1824–1834.
- What is the provenance of COV-400?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 223 (Sept. 2015); and Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 9042 lot 10061 (Nov. 2025).
- When was COV-400 posted?
- COV-400 is dated 1824, within the recorded period of use of Dacca HG 8 (1824–1834).
About this record
This 1824 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Dacca HG 8 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 5 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, Manning, lot 223, (Sept. 2015); Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 9042, lot 10061, (Nov. 2025).