Scan or Photo Courtesy of Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Date
1856
Description
BARRED/DOTTED DIAMOND NUMERAL CANCELS ON COVERS WITH ½a VARIETIES/RETOUCH; June/July 1856 trio of single-franking envs./E from Honore (just 4m Die III D stone, pos.5; dark blue) showing "Blank Space" var. tied by fine "C/27" Honore dotted diamond (boxed ds on back), Lahore (just 4m; same position) showing "Blank space retouched" tied by Lahore barred diamond, and Meerut fine 4m with "Eyeball" variety tied by fair Meerut barred numeral. Rare group. (3 covers)
Auction
The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction, Lot 1022, (13 May 2025)
Provenance
Michael Caswell
About this Honore pre stamp cover
COV-4775 is a Honore pre stamp cover of 1856 bearing the Honore HG 1 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Honore postal history — the office known today as Honnavar, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
BARRED/DOTTED DIAMOND NUMERAL CANCELS ON COVERS WITH ½a VARIETIES/RETOUCH; June/July 1856 trio of single-franking envs./E from Honore (just 4m Die III D stone, pos.5; dark blue) showing "Blank Space" var. tied by fine "C/27" Honore dotted diamond (boxed ds on back), Lahore (just 4m; same position) showing "Blank space retouched" tied by Lahore barred diamond, and Meerut fine 4m with "Eyeball" variety tied by fair Meerut barred numeral. Rare group. (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 1022 (13 May 2025).
2 images of COV-4775 are recorded (front, back); the Honore HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1854–1856.
Questions about COV-4775
- What is COV-4775?
- COV-4775 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Honore, Madras Presidency of 1856, bearing the Honore HG 1 handstamp in red. BARRED/DOTTED DIAMOND NUMERAL CANCELS ON COVERS WITH ½a VARIETIES/RETOUCH; June/July 1856 trio of single-franking envs./E from Honore (just 4m Die III D stone, pos.5; dark blue) showing "Blank Space" var. tied by fine "C/27" Honore dotted diamond (boxed ds on back), Lahore (just 4m; same position) showing "Blank space retouched" tied by Lahore barred diamond, and Meerut fine 4m with "Eyeball" variety tied by fair Meerut barred numeral. Rare group. (3 covers)
- How scarce is the Honore HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Honore HG 1 as very scarce, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1854–1856.
- What is the provenance of COV-4775?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction lot 1022 (13 May 2025).
- When was COV-4775 posted?
- COV-4775 is dated 1856, within the recorded period of use of Honore HG 1 (1854–1856).
About this record
This 1856 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Honore HG 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Very scarce” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd, The Michael Caswell Collection of 19th Century India Postal History & Stamps Auction, lot 1022, (13 May 2025).