Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
1857
Description
DIFFERENT BARRED DIAMOND CANCELS ON ½a BLUE/INDIGO COVERS EX "GOOJRAT", JAULNAH & BOMBAY; 19 Mar. 1857 env. to Lahore (fair green cds) ex "GOOJRAT/+" (fine red 2-ring cds) with 4m ½a Blue (corner crease) tied by a rare very fine 9-bar barred diamond with lines parallel to long diagonal (Renouf 2d; few known on cover); plus 4 Feb. 1856 & c.1856 envs. ex Bombay/Jaulnah to Surat/Ballapore each with fine ½a (the first a good shade of Indigo, and Die 1, B stone, pos. 23) - both with good to wide margins - tied by 10 or 9 bar regular diamonds. Good trio. (3 covers)
Auction
The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction, Lot 1018, (13 May 2025)
Provenance
Michael Caswell
Same office
Other recorded marks at Surat
3 marks3 other pre-1854 postal markings of Surat are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this Surat pre stamp cover
COV-4772 is a Surat pre stamp cover of 1857 bearing the Surat HG 3 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Surat postal history, Bombay Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
DIFFERENT BARRED DIAMOND CANCELS ON ½a BLUE/INDIGO COVERS EX "GOOJRAT", JAULNAH & BOMBAY; 19 Mar. 1857 env. to Lahore (fair green cds) ex "GOOJRAT/+" (fine red 2-ring cds) with 4m ½a Blue (corner crease) tied by a rare very fine 9-bar barred diamond with lines parallel to long diagonal (Renouf 2d; few known on cover); plus 4 Feb. 1856 & c.1856 envs. ex Bombay/Jaulnah to Surat/Ballapore each with fine ½a (the first a good shade of Indigo, and Die 1, B stone, pos. 23) - both with good to wide margins - tied by 10 or 9 bar regular diamonds. Good trio. (3 covers)
Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction lot 1018 (13 May 2025).
2 images of COV-4772 are recorded (front, back); the Surat HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1842–1855.
Questions about COV-4772
- What is COV-4772?
- COV-4772 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Surat, Bombay Presidency of 1857, bearing the Surat HG 3 handstamp in red. DIFFERENT BARRED DIAMOND CANCELS ON ½a BLUE/INDIGO COVERS EX "GOOJRAT", JAULNAH & BOMBAY; 19 Mar. 1857 env. to Lahore (fair green cds) ex "GOOJRAT/+" (fine red 2-ring cds) with 4m ½a Blue (corner crease) tied by a rare very fine 9-bar barred diamond with lines parallel to long diagonal (Renouf 2d; few known on cover); plus 4 Feb. 1856 & c.1856 envs. ex Bombay/Jaulnah to Surat/Ballapore each with fine ½a (the first a good shade of Indigo, and Die 1, B stone, pos. 23) - both with good to wide margins - tied by 10 or 9 bar regular diamonds. Good trio. (3 covers)
- How scarce is the Surat HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Surat HG 3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1842–1855.
- What is the provenance of COV-4772?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction lot 1018 (13 May 2025).
- When was COV-4772 posted?
- COV-4772 is dated 1857, within the recorded period of use of Surat HG 3 (1842–1855).
About this record
This 1857 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Surat HG 3 handstamp of the Bombay Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 6 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 1018, (13 May 2025).