Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1858
Description
INDIA, 1854, 1a Red, Die II (4B; SG 14). Three singles, mostly large to ample margins, just touching on one side of one example, each tied by bold strikes of barred "85" cancel with red framed Belgaum Paid datestamp (Giles 5) on 1858 underpaid cover to Elgin, Scotland, despatch datestamp subsequently crossed out with manuscript "X", two different strikes of framed "INDIA UNPAID" and "INSUFFICIENT" handstamps, blue Belgaum Aug. ?, 1858 despatch datestamp on back, Bombay transit and partial Elgin backstamps, manuscript "1/-" due rate marking, cover with some edgewear and missing top flap, still Fine and attractive cover, the rate at this time was 8a so this cover underpaid the correct rate by 5a, with 2010 B.P.A. certificate
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History and Stamps Used Abroad, Part 2, Lot 6087, (11/14/2023)
Certificates
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 3handstampRed1839–1849
- Belgaum HG 4handstampRed1838–1852
- Belgaum HG 4AhandstampRed1838
- Belgaum HG 6handstampBlack1851–1858
+1 more at this office.View all Belgaum marks and postal history →
About this Belgaum pre stamp cover
COV-4808 is a Belgaum pre stamp cover of 1858 bearing the Belgaum HG 5 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?
INDIA, 1854, 1a Red, Die II (4B; SG 14). Three singles, mostly large to ample margins, just touching on one side of one example, each tied by bold strikes of barred "85" cancel with red framed Belgaum Paid datestamp (Giles 5) on 1858 underpaid cover to Elgin, Scotland, despatch datestamp subsequently crossed out with manuscript "X", two different strikes of framed "INDIA UNPAID" and "INSUFFICIENT" handstamps, blue Belgaum Aug. ?, 1858 despatch datestamp on back, Bombay transit and partial Elgin backstamps, manuscript "1/-" due rate marking, cover with some edgewear and missing top flap, still Fine and attractive cover, the rate at this time was 8a so this cover underpaid the correct rate by 5a, with 2010 B.P.A. certificate
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History and Stamps Used Abroad, Part 2 lot 6087 (11/14/2023).
2 images of COV-4808 are recorded (front, back); the Belgaum HG 5 mark itself is recorded in use 1840–1858.
Questions about COV-4808
- What is COV-4808?
- COV-4808 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Belgaum, Bombay Presidency of 1858, bearing the Belgaum HG 5 handstamp in red. INDIA, 1854, 1a Red, Die II (4B; SG 14). Three singles, mostly large to ample margins, just touching on one side of one example, each tied by bold strikes of barred "85" cancel with red framed Belgaum Paid datestamp (Giles 5) on 1858 underpaid cover to Elgin, Scotland, despatch datestamp subsequently crossed out with manuscript "X", two different strikes of framed "INDIA UNPAID" and "INSUFFICIENT" handstamps, blue Belgaum Aug. ?, 1858 despatch datestamp on back, Bombay transit and partial Elgin backstamps, manuscript "1/-" due rate marking, cover with some edgewear and missing top flap, still Fine and attractive cover, the rate at this time was 8a so this cover underpaid the correct rate by 5a, with 2010 B.P.A. certificate
- How scarce is the Belgaum HG 5 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Belgaum HG 5 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1840–1858.
- What is the provenance of COV-4808?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History and Stamps Used Abroad, Part 2 lot 6087 (11/14/2023).
- When was COV-4808 posted?
- COV-4808 is dated 1858, within the recorded period of use of Belgaum HG 5 (1840–1858).
About this record
This 1858 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Belgaum HG 5 handstamp of the Bombay Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 9 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History and Stamps Used Abroad, Part 2, lot 6087, (11/14/2023).