Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
7 August 1795
Description
Siegel - INDIA, Patna, 1795, "PATNA/PT:PD" Handstamp (Giles 2). Bold and mostly complete boxed magenta cancel with manuscript "7 Aug 95, 5a" date and rate markings on folded letter to William Dick in Calcutta, without receipt markings, cover affected by waterstains that also affect strike, still a Very Fine strike of this rare territorial cancel and noted as such by Giles, Patna did not become a British territory until 1818 Cavendish - PATNA - THE RARE BOXED RED “PATNA/PT:PD” ON COVER TO CALCUTTA; 7 Aug. 1795 EL (superb red wax seal; stains affect mark and part of the address panel) from”Patna” to Calcutta with a mainly very fine claret-red boxed “PATNA/PT:PD” (HG Type 2; “Rare” - earliest known example?) nicely placed on the front with manuscript date and “5fs” rate alongside. One of the earliest known Indian markings struck in a colour other than black; few examples are known. PHOTO - see opposite.
Auction
Provenance
"Magnolia" Michael Manning
Same office
Other recorded marks at Patna
18 marks18 other pre-1854 postal markings of Patna are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Patna HG 1handstampBlack1785
- Patna HG 3handstampBlack1797
- Patna HG 4handstampBlack1816
- Patna HG 5handstampBlack1818
- Patna HG 6handstampBlack1823–1829
- Patna HG 7handstampBlack1824–1829
+12 more at this office.View all Patna marks and postal history →
About this Patna pre stamp cover
COV-104 is a Patna pre stamp cover of 7 August 1795 bearing the Patna HG 2 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Patna postal history, Bengal Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
Siegel - INDIA, Patna, 1795, "PATNA/PT:PD" Handstamp (Giles 2). Bold and mostly complete boxed magenta cancel with manuscript "7 Aug 95, 5a" date and rate markings on folded letter to William Dick in Calcutta, without receipt markings, cover affected by waterstains that also affect strike, still a Very Fine strike of this rare territorial cancel and noted as such by Giles, Patna did not become a British territory until 1818 Cavendish - PATNA - THE RARE BOXED RED “PATNA/PT:PD” ON COVER TO CALCUTTA; 7 Aug. 1795 EL (superb red wax seal; stains affect mark and part of the address panel) from”Patna” to Calcutta with a mainly very fine claret-red boxed “PATNA/PT:PD” (HG Type 2; “Rare” - earliest known example?) nicely placed on the front with manuscript date and “5fs” rate alongside. One of the earliest known Indian markings struck in a colour other than black; few examples are known. PHOTO - see opposite.
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 85 (Sept. 2015); and Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1301 lot 6035 (Nov. 2023).
2 images of COV-104 are recorded (front, back); the Patna HG 2 mark itself is recorded in use 1795–1814.
Questions about COV-104
- What is COV-104?
- COV-104 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Patna, Bengal Presidency of 7 August 1795, bearing the Patna HG 2 handstamp in red. Siegel - INDIA, Patna, 1795, "PATNA/PT:PD" Handstamp (Giles 2). Bold and mostly complete boxed magenta cancel with manuscript "7 Aug 95, 5a" date and rate markings on folded letter to William Dick in Calcutta, without receipt markings, cover affected by waterstains that also affect strike, still a Very Fine strike of this rare territorial cancel and noted as such by Giles, Patna did not become a British territory until 1818 Cavendish - PATNA - THE RARE BOXED RED “PATNA/PT:PD” ON COVER TO CALCUTTA; 7 Aug. 1795 EL (superb red wax seal; stains affect mark and part of the address panel) from”Patna” to Calcutta with a mainly very fine claret-red boxed “PATNA/PT:PD” (HG Type 2; “Rare” - earliest known example?) nicely placed on the front with manuscript date and “5fs” rate alongside. One of the earliest known Indian markings struck in a colour other than black; few examples are known. PHOTO - see opposite.
- How scarce is the Patna HG 2 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Patna HG 2 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1795–1814.
- What is the provenance of COV-104?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Manning lot 85 (Sept. 2015); and Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1301 lot 6035 (Nov. 2023).
- When was COV-104 posted?
- COV-104 is dated 7 August 1795, within the recorded period of use of Patna HG 2 (1795–1814).
About this record
This 7 August 1795 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Patna HG 2 handstamp of the Bengal Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — one of 4 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, Manning, lot 85, (Sept. 2015); Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 1301, lot 6035, (Nov. 2023).