Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
24 April 1855
Description
TO G.B. - NAGPORE COVER WITH 9as FRANKING - TWO 4as (CUT TO SHAPE) PLUS 1a TIED BY DOTTED DIAMONDS; 24 Apr. 1855 small env. FROM "nagpore" (red boxed "Paid" ds on back) to Harrow endorsed (across both 4as) "Via Bombay and Southampton, Nagpore 24th April 1855. Stamped Eleven as." and separately endorsed "All Postage prepaid by Stamps"! There are two 4as neatly cut-to-shape around the frames and a close-cut 1a Red all tied by light dotted diamonds (the 4as also tied by red London tombstone "PAID" ds with v. fine red boxed "INDIA PAID" and ms "1/-" arrival charge. There is a note under the flap; "Take care of our letters to you. Don't lose them, but tie them up together with red tape & keep in yr. Desk" (Presumably mother to schoolboy son!). Attractive.
Auction
The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction, Lot 1032, (13 May 2025)
Provenance
Michael Caswell
Same office
Other recorded marks at Nagpore
5 marks5 other pre-1854 postal markings of Nagpore are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Nagpore pre stamp cover
COV-4792 is a Nagpore pre stamp cover of 24 April 1855 bearing the Nagpore HG 3 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Nagpore postal history — the office known today as Nagpur, Bombay Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
TO G.B. - NAGPORE COVER WITH 9as FRANKING - TWO 4as (CUT TO SHAPE) PLUS 1a TIED BY DOTTED DIAMONDS; 24 Apr. 1855 small env. FROM "nagpore" (red boxed "Paid" ds on back) to Harrow endorsed (across both 4as) "Via Bombay and Southampton, Nagpore 24th April 1855. Stamped Eleven as." and separately endorsed "All Postage prepaid by Stamps"! There are two 4as neatly cut-to-shape around the frames and a close-cut 1a Red all tied by light dotted diamonds (the 4as also tied by red London tombstone "PAID" ds with v. fine red boxed "INDIA PAID" and ms "1/-" arrival charge. There is a note under the flap; "Take care of our letters to you. Don't lose them, but tie them up together with red tape & keep in yr. Desk" (Presumably mother to schoolboy son!). Attractive.
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction lot 1032 (13 May 2025).
2 images of COV-4792 are recorded (front, back); the Nagpore HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1838–1859.
Questions about COV-4792
- What is COV-4792?
- COV-4792 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Nagpore, Bombay Presidency of 24 April 1855, bearing the Nagpore HG 3 handstamp in red. TO G.B. - NAGPORE COVER WITH 9as FRANKING - TWO 4as (CUT TO SHAPE) PLUS 1a TIED BY DOTTED DIAMONDS; 24 Apr. 1855 small env. FROM "nagpore" (red boxed "Paid" ds on back) to Harrow endorsed (across both 4as) "Via Bombay and Southampton, Nagpore 24th April 1855. Stamped Eleven as." and separately endorsed "All Postage prepaid by Stamps"! There are two 4as neatly cut-to-shape around the frames and a close-cut 1a Red all tied by light dotted diamonds (the 4as also tied by red London tombstone "PAID" ds with v. fine red boxed "INDIA PAID" and ms "1/-" arrival charge. There is a note under the flap; "Take care of our letters to you. Don't lose them, but tie them up together with red tape & keep in yr. Desk" (Presumably mother to schoolboy son!). Attractive.
- How scarce is the Nagpore HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Nagpore HG 3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1838–1859.
- What is the provenance of COV-4792?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction lot 1032 (13 May 2025).
- When was COV-4792 posted?
- COV-4792 is dated 24 April 1855, within the recorded period of use of Nagpore HG 3 (1838–1859).
About this record
This 24 April 1855 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Nagpore HG 3 handstamp of the Bombay Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 13 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction, lot 1032, (13 May 2025).