Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
26 March 1857
Description
STAMPLESS UNPAID COVER TO INDIA REDIRECTED FURTHER WITH INDIA 1st-ISSUE 1a RED PAIR; Attractive 18 Feb. - 26 Mar. 1857 E sent unpaid from London (charged "6" beneath stamps) "Via Southampton" to Sattarah via the Forwarding Agents "Ritchie Stewart & Co" in Bombay having a fine boxed "SATTARA/Bearing" ds on the front, but redirected to "MAHABLESHWUR" (v. fine "BEARING ds on the lower flap) with a Pair of India 1a Red margins all round except cut into at left) tied by Bombay "1" barred diamond numerals with circular framed "St. Bg./As. 4" on the front. Rare thus. [Ex Cavendish 'Bruce Adam' India section, Apr. 2005, lot 478, realised £420+BP, when acquired by Gilbert Wheat.] Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS
Auction
Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History, Lot 507, (4 Sep 2024)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Sittara
4 marks4 other pre-1854 postal markings of Sittara are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Sittara pre stamp cover
COV-4802 is a Sittara pre stamp cover of 26 March 1857 bearing the Sittara HG 3 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Sittara postal history — the office known today as Satara, Bombay Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
STAMPLESS UNPAID COVER TO INDIA REDIRECTED FURTHER WITH INDIA 1st-ISSUE 1a RED PAIR; Attractive 18 Feb. - 26 Mar. 1857 E sent unpaid from London (charged "6" beneath stamps) "Via Southampton" to Sattarah via the Forwarding Agents "Ritchie Stewart & Co" in Bombay having a fine boxed "SATTARA/Bearing" ds on the front, but redirected to "MAHABLESHWUR" (v. fine "BEARING ds on the lower flap) with a Pair of India 1a Red margins all round except cut into at left) tied by Bombay "1" barred diamond numerals with circular framed "St. Bg./As. 4" on the front. Rare thus. [Ex Cavendish 'Bruce Adam' India section, Apr. 2005, lot 478, realised £420+BP, when acquired by Gilbert Wheat.] Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History lot 507 (4 Sep 2024).
1 image of COV-4802 is recorded (front); the Sittara HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1858.
Questions about COV-4802
- What is COV-4802?
- COV-4802 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Sittara, Bombay Presidency of 26 March 1857, bearing the Sittara HG 3 handstamp in black. STAMPLESS UNPAID COVER TO INDIA REDIRECTED FURTHER WITH INDIA 1st-ISSUE 1a RED PAIR; Attractive 18 Feb. - 26 Mar. 1857 E sent unpaid from London (charged "6" beneath stamps) "Via Southampton" to Sattarah via the Forwarding Agents "Ritchie Stewart & Co" in Bombay having a fine boxed "SATTARA/Bearing" ds on the front, but redirected to "MAHABLESHWUR" (v. fine "BEARING ds on the lower flap) with a Pair of India 1a Red margins all round except cut into at left) tied by Bombay "1" barred diamond numerals with circular framed "St. Bg./As. 4" on the front. Rare thus. [Ex Cavendish 'Bruce Adam' India section, Apr. 2005, lot 478, realised £420+BP, when acquired by Gilbert Wheat.] Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS
- How scarce is the Sittara HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Sittara HG 3 as rare, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1858.
- What is the provenance of COV-4802?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History lot 507 (4 Sep 2024).
- When was COV-4802 posted?
- COV-4802 is dated 26 March 1857, within the recorded period of use of Sittara HG 3 (1858).
About this record
This 26 March 1857 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Sittara HG 3 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 Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, Worldwide & Great Britain Stamps & Postal History, lot 507, (4 Sep 2024).