Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1855
Description
India, Used in Burma, 1854, 1a Deep Red, Die I (4a; SG 11). Nine singles affixed at top and overlapping at places, each cut close with design touched, cancelled or tied by diamond of dots on cover to Kingsbridge, England, sender's directive "via Calcutta & Southampton", rare Tongnoo Post Office 1855 double-circle datestamp on back, boxed "INDIA PAID" handstamp, Calcutta and London transit and Kingsbridge arrival datestamps, receipt docketing also ties stamps, stamps with some faults FINE. AN IMPRESSIVE FRANKING WITH NINE SINGLE ONE-ANNA DIE I LITHOGRAPH STAMPS ON COVER FROM BURMA TO ENGLAND. ONE OF THE LARGEST ONE-ANNA FRANKINGS RECORDED AND ESPECIALLY RARE WITH THE TONGNOO DATESTAMP. We know of only one other cover with nine 1a stamps (made up of pairs and strips) and one larger franking with ten 1a stamps. Both of those covers were posted at Rangoon, a more common origin. Ex "Magnolia".
Auction
Provenance
"Magnolia"
About this Tongnoo pre stamp cover
COV-3339 is a Tongnoo pre stamp cover of 1855 bearing the Tongnoo FP 1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Tongnoo postal history, Burma. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Used in Burma, 1854, 1a Deep Red, Die I (4a; SG 11). Nine singles affixed at top and overlapping at places, each cut close with design touched, cancelled or tied by diamond of dots on cover to Kingsbridge, England, sender's directive "via Calcutta & Southampton", rare Tongnoo Post Office 1855 double-circle datestamp on back, boxed "INDIA PAID" handstamp, Calcutta and London transit and Kingsbridge arrival datestamps, receipt docketing also ties stamps, stamps with some faults FINE. AN IMPRESSIVE FRANKING WITH NINE SINGLE ONE-ANNA DIE I LITHOGRAPH STAMPS ON COVER FROM BURMA TO ENGLAND. ONE OF THE LARGEST ONE-ANNA FRANKINGS RECORDED AND ESPECIALLY RARE WITH THE TONGNOO DATESTAMP. We know of only one other cover with nine 1a stamps (made up of pairs and strips) and one larger franking with ten 1a stamps. Both of those covers were posted at Rangoon, a more common origin. Ex "Magnolia".
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries 1286 lot 212 (May 2023); and Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries 1377 lot 4212 (Apr. 2026).
2 images of COV-3339 are recorded; the Tongnoo FP 1 mark itself is recorded in use —.
Questions about COV-3339
- What is COV-3339?
- COV-3339 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Tongnoo, Burma of 1855, bearing the Tongnoo FP 1 handstamp in black. India, Used in Burma, 1854, 1a Deep Red, Die I (4a; SG 11). Nine singles affixed at top and overlapping at places, each cut close with design touched, cancelled or tied by diamond of dots on cover to Kingsbridge, England, sender's directive "via Calcutta & Southampton", rare Tongnoo Post Office 1855 double-circle datestamp on back, boxed "INDIA PAID" handstamp, Calcutta and London transit and Kingsbridge arrival datestamps, receipt docketing also ties stamps, stamps with some faults FINE. AN IMPRESSIVE FRANKING WITH NINE SINGLE ONE-ANNA DIE I LITHOGRAPH STAMPS ON COVER FROM BURMA TO ENGLAND. ONE OF THE LARGEST ONE-ANNA FRANKINGS RECORDED AND ESPECIALLY RARE WITH THE TONGNOO DATESTAMP. We know of only one other cover with nine 1a stamps (made up of pairs and strips) and one larger franking with ten 1a stamps. Both of those covers were posted at Rangoon, a more common origin. Ex "Magnolia".
- How scarce is the Tongnoo FP 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Tongnoo FP 1 as very scarce, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use —.
- What is the provenance of COV-3339?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries 1286 lot 212 (May 2023); and Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries 1377 lot 4212 (Apr. 2026).
- When was COV-3339 posted?
- COV-3339 is dated 1855, within the recorded period of use of Tongnoo FP 1 (—).
About this record
This 1855 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Tongnoo FP 1 handstamp of the Burma, a mark graded “Very scarce” in this census — one of 11 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, 1286, lot 212, (May 2023); Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, 1377, lot 4212, (Apr. 2026).