COV-5010
17 April 1847 Dinapore Cover
Scan or Photo Courtesy of David Feldman Auctions
Date
17 April 1847
Description
An entire letter from Ed Ommanney to his mother sent from Dinapore a military Station in the Patna District in Bengal Presidency. The letter is dated 17th April 1847 and has the Dinapore despatch handstamp also dated 17 April 1847. The writer asks for the letter to be despatched by overland mail via Bombay with the British postage prepaid. The INDIA PAID handstamp was applied in Calcutta and is HG 20 which was in use from 1845 to 1862. There is a British PAID Handstamp dated 7th July 1847 which indicates the letter’s arrival and a BEDFORD handstamp dated 8th July indicates receipt. Transit time 80 days.
Auction
Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, Lot 50707, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Dinapore
8 marks8 other pre-1854 postal markings of Dinapore are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Dinapore HG 1handstampBlack—
- Dinapore HG 2handstampBlack1824–1837
- Dinapore HG 3handstampBlack1836
- Dinapore HG 5handstampBlack1838–1840
- Dinapore HG 6handstampRed1837–1851
- Dinapore HG 7handstampRed1840–1851
+2 more at this office.View all Dinapore marks and postal history →
About this Dinapore pre stamp cover
COV-5010 is a Dinapore pre stamp cover of 17 April 1847 bearing the Dinapore HG 4 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Dinapore postal history — the office known today as Danapur, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
An entire letter from Ed Ommanney to his mother sent from Dinapore a military Station in the Patna District in Bengal Presidency. The letter is dated 17th April 1847 and has the Dinapore despatch handstamp also dated 17 April 1847. The writer asks for the letter to be despatched by overland mail via Bombay with the British postage prepaid. The INDIA PAID handstamp was applied in Calcutta and is HG 20 which was in use from 1845 to 1862. There is a British PAID Handstamp dated 7th July 1847 which indicates the letter’s arrival and a BEDFORD handstamp dated 8th July indicates receipt. Transit time 80 days.
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
1 image of COV-5010 is recorded; the Dinapore HG 4 mark itself is recorded in use 1837–1855.
Questions about COV-5010
- What is COV-5010?
- COV-5010 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Dinapore, Bengal Presidency of 17 April 1847, bearing the Dinapore HG 4 handstamp in red. An entire letter from Ed Ommanney to his mother sent from Dinapore a military Station in the Patna District in Bengal Presidency. The letter is dated 17th April 1847 and has the Dinapore despatch handstamp also dated 17 April 1847. The writer asks for the letter to be despatched by overland mail via Bombay with the British postage prepaid. The INDIA PAID handstamp was applied in Calcutta and is HG 20 which was in use from 1845 to 1862. There is a British PAID Handstamp dated 7th July 1847 which indicates the letter’s arrival and a BEDFORD handstamp dated 8th July indicates receipt. Transit time 80 days.
- How scarce is the Dinapore HG 4 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Dinapore HG 4 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1837–1855.
- What is the provenance of COV-5010?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire lot 50707 (2025).
- When was COV-5010 posted?
- COV-5010 is dated 17 April 1847, within the recorded period of use of Dinapore HG 4 (1837–1855).
About this record
This 17 April 1847 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Dinapore HG 4 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 9 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, Autumn 2025 Auction Series - British Empire, lot 50707, (2025).