Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1845
Description
India, Dum Dum, 1845, "DUM DUM/Bearing" Framed Handstamp (Giles 5). Clear strike with manuscript "19 Novbr 1845" date and "0-8-0" rate added on back of folded letter from Edward Fraser to his brother James Fraser in Chicacole, faint strike of "CHICACOLE/Bearing" framed arrival backstamp (Giles unrecorded), manuscript "Ned's last letter to me, J.F.", Very Fine, scarce with the unrecorded Chicacole strike which is similar to Giles 1 which is the "Paid" style
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 7, Lot 10040, (05/14/2026)
Same office
Other recorded marks at DumDum
7 marks7 other pre-1854 postal markings of DumDum are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- DumDum HG 1handstampBlack1825–1836
- DumDum HG 2handstampBlack1835–1837
- DumDum HG 3handstampBlack1843–1847
- DumDum HG 4handstampRed1841–1854
- DumDum HG 6handstampRed1848
- DumDum HG 7handstampRed1842–1848
+1 more at this office.View all DumDum marks and postal history →
About this DumDum pre stamp cover
COV-2142 is a DumDum pre stamp cover of 1845 bearing the DumDum HG 5 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of DumDum postal history, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Dum Dum, 1845, "DUM DUM/Bearing" Framed Handstamp (Giles 5). Clear strike with manuscript "19 Novbr 1845" date and "0-8-0" rate added on back of folded letter from Edward Fraser to his brother James Fraser in Chicacole, faint strike of "CHICACOLE/Bearing" framed arrival backstamp (Giles unrecorded), manuscript "Ned's last letter to me, J.F.", Very Fine, scarce with the unrecorded Chicacole strike which is similar to Giles 1 which is the "Paid" style
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 7 lot 10040 (05/14/2026).
2 images of COV-2142 are recorded (front, back); the DumDum HG 5 mark itself is recorded in use 1838–1845.
Questions about COV-2142
- What is COV-2142?
- COV-2142 is a recorded pre stamp cover of DumDum, Bengal Presidency of 1845, bearing the DumDum HG 5 handstamp in black. India, Dum Dum, 1845, "DUM DUM/Bearing" Framed Handstamp (Giles 5). Clear strike with manuscript "19 Novbr 1845" date and "0-8-0" rate added on back of folded letter from Edward Fraser to his brother James Fraser in Chicacole, faint strike of "CHICACOLE/Bearing" framed arrival backstamp (Giles unrecorded), manuscript "Ned's last letter to me, J.F.", Very Fine, scarce with the unrecorded Chicacole strike which is similar to Giles 1 which is the "Paid" style
- How scarce is the DumDum HG 5 mark on this cover?
- The census grades DumDum HG 5 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1838–1845.
- What is the provenance of COV-2142?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 7 lot 10040 (05/14/2026).
- When was COV-2142 posted?
- COV-2142 is dated 1845, within the recorded period of use of DumDum HG 5 (1838–1845).
About this record
This 1845 pre stamp cover of British India bears the DumDum HG 5 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 6 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 7, lot 10040, (05/14/2026).