Scan or Photo Courtesy of David Feldman Auctions
Date
1854
Description
1854 1/2a Blue Die I pair used on a cover from Belgaum to Scotland cancelled with diamond of dots cancel. Complete margins all around touching in top left. Manuscript shows date as 23 Oct 1854 (being used in first month of issue of SG2 which was 1 Oct 1854). Reverse with boxed despatch, Bombay transit and Elgin arrival cds. Fine postal history cover showing early usage (S.G. £600).
Auction
Spring 2025 Auction Series — India & Indian States, Lot 80520, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Belgaum
7 marks7 other pre-1854 postal markings of Belgaum are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Belgaum HG 1handstampRed1829–1837
- Belgaum HG 2handstampOrange1832–1837
- Belgaum HG 4handstampRed1838–1852
- Belgaum HG 4AhandstampRed1838–1843
- Belgaum HG 5handstampRed1840–1858
- Belgaum HG 6handstampBlack1851–1858
+1 more at this office.View all Belgaum marks and postal history →
About this Belgaum pre stamp cover
COV-4992 is a Belgaum pre stamp cover of 1854 bearing the Belgaum HG 3 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Belgaum postal history — the office known today as Belagavi, Bombay Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
1854 1/2a Blue Die I pair used on a cover from Belgaum to Scotland cancelled with diamond of dots cancel. Complete margins all around touching in top left. Manuscript shows date as 23 Oct 1854 (being used in first month of issue of SG2 which was 1 Oct 1854). Reverse with boxed despatch, Bombay transit and Elgin arrival cds. Fine postal history cover showing early usage (S.G. £600).
Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Spring 2025 Auction Series — India & Indian States lot 80520 (2025).
2 images of COV-4992 are recorded; the Belgaum HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1839–1854.
Questions about COV-4992
- What is COV-4992?
- COV-4992 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Belgaum, Bombay Presidency of 1854, bearing the Belgaum HG 3 handstamp in red. 1854 1/2a Blue Die I pair used on a cover from Belgaum to Scotland cancelled with diamond of dots cancel. Complete margins all around touching in top left. Manuscript shows date as 23 Oct 1854 (being used in first month of issue of SG2 which was 1 Oct 1854). Reverse with boxed despatch, Bombay transit and Elgin arrival cds. Fine postal history cover showing early usage (S.G. £600).
- How scarce is the Belgaum HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Belgaum HG 3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1839–1854.
- What is the provenance of COV-4992?
- Its recorded auction history runs through David Feldman SA Spring 2025 Auction Series — India & Indian States lot 80520 (2025).
- When was COV-4992 posted?
- COV-4992 is dated 1854, within the recorded period of use of Belgaum HG 3 (1839–1854).
About this record
This 1854 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Belgaum HG 3 handstamp of the Bombay Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 11 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with David Feldman, Spring 2025 Auction Series — India & Indian States, lot 80520, (2025).