Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
12 December 1856
Description
India, 1854, 4a Red & Deep Blue, 4th Printing, Head Die III, Frame Die II (6Fa; SG 22). Three cut to shape singles, margins to touching, tied by barred "119" cancels on bluish 1856 folded letter to Hartrow, England, sender's directive "via Marseilles", well-struck red framed "RAJKOTE/1856 DEC 12/Paid" despatch datestamp (Giles 2 variety) on back, red framed "INDIA PAID" handstamp, red Bombay (. 16) and London (Jan. 16, 1857) transit, the latter also ties one 4a stamp, and blue Taunton (Jan. 17) arrival datestamps, red manuscript "1/3" rate marking, cover missing small piece of back panel and some minor edgewear, Very Fine, the 12a paid the up to ½oz rate via Marseilles
Auction
Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5, Lot 158, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Rajkote
5 marks5 other pre-1854 postal markings of Rajkote are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Rajkote pre stamp cover
COV-2836 is a Rajkote pre stamp cover of 12 December 1856 bearing the Rajkote HG 6 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Rajkote postal history — the office known today as Rajkot, Bombay Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, 1854, 4a Red & Deep Blue, 4th Printing, Head Die III, Frame Die II (6Fa; SG 22). Three cut to shape singles, margins to touching, tied by barred "119" cancels on bluish 1856 folded letter to Hartrow, England, sender's directive "via Marseilles", well-struck red framed "RAJKOTE/1856 DEC 12/Paid" despatch datestamp (Giles 2 variety) on back, red framed "INDIA PAID" handstamp, red Bombay (. 16) and London (Jan. 16, 1857) transit, the latter also ties one 4a stamp, and blue Taunton (Jan. 17) arrival datestamps, red manuscript "1/3" rate marking, cover missing small piece of back panel and some minor edgewear, Very Fine, the 12a paid the up to ½oz rate via Marseilles
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5 lot 158 (2025).
2 images of COV-2836 are recorded (back, front); the Rajkote HG 6 mark itself is recorded in use 1856.
Questions about COV-2836
- What is COV-2836?
- COV-2836 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Rajkote, Bombay Presidency of 12 December 1856, bearing the Rajkote HG 6 handstamp in red. India, 1854, 4a Red & Deep Blue, 4th Printing, Head Die III, Frame Die II (6Fa; SG 22). Three cut to shape singles, margins to touching, tied by barred "119" cancels on bluish 1856 folded letter to Hartrow, England, sender's directive "via Marseilles", well-struck red framed "RAJKOTE/1856 DEC 12/Paid" despatch datestamp (Giles 2 variety) on back, red framed "INDIA PAID" handstamp, red Bombay (. 16) and London (Jan. 16, 1857) transit, the latter also ties one 4a stamp, and blue Taunton (Jan. 17) arrival datestamps, red manuscript "1/3" rate marking, cover missing small piece of back panel and some minor edgewear, Very Fine, the 12a paid the up to ½oz rate via Marseilles
- How scarce is the Rajkote HG 6 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Rajkote HG 6 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1856.
- What is the provenance of COV-2836?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5 lot 158 (2025).
- When was COV-2836 posted?
- COV-2836 is dated 12 December 1856, within the recorded period of use of Rajkote HG 6 (1856).
About this record
This 12 December 1856 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Rajkote HG 6 handstamp of the Bombay Presidency, a mark graded “Rare” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 1360 - The Magnolia Collection: India Stamps and Postal History, Part 5, lot 158, (2025).