Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
3 February 1827
Description
India, Ongole, 1827, "ONGOLE/POST NOT PAID" Framed Handstamp (Giles 1). Superb and bold strike with manuscript "the 3rd February 1827" date and "13 As" rate added on back of folded letter to Paulghaut (Madras), manuscript notation "Ongole to Madras 186 Miles" , Madras (Feb. 6) arrival backstamp, cover with some edgewear and some splitting along internal folds (which have been mended by hinges), Very Fine, a bold strike of this rare postal marking, we doubt more than a handful of examples exist
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10114, (2026)
About this Ongole pre stamp cover
COV-5307 is an Ongole pre stamp cover of 3 February 1827 bearing the Ongole HG 1 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Ongole postal history, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, Ongole, 1827, "ONGOLE/POST NOT PAID" Framed Handstamp (Giles 1). Superb and bold strike with manuscript "the 3rd February 1827" date and "13 As" rate added on back of folded letter to Paulghaut (Madras), manuscript notation "Ongole to Madras 186 Miles" , Madras (Feb. 6) arrival backstamp, cover with some edgewear and some splitting along internal folds (which have been mended by hinges), Very Fine, a bold strike of this rare postal marking, we doubt more than a handful of examples exist
Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026) lot 10114 (2026).
2 images of COV-5307 are recorded; the Ongole HG 1 mark itself is recorded in use 1827.
Questions about COV-5307
- What is COV-5307?
- COV-5307 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Ongole, Madras Presidency of 3 February 1827, bearing the Ongole HG 1 handstamp in black. India, Ongole, 1827, "ONGOLE/POST NOT PAID" Framed Handstamp (Giles 1). Superb and bold strike with manuscript "the 3rd February 1827" date and "13 As" rate added on back of folded letter to Paulghaut (Madras), manuscript notation "Ongole to Madras 186 Miles" , Madras (Feb. 6) arrival backstamp, cover with some edgewear and some splitting along internal folds (which have been mended by hinges), Very Fine, a bold strike of this rare postal marking, we doubt more than a handful of examples exist
- How scarce is the Ongole HG 1 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Ongole HG 1 as scarce, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1827.
- What is the provenance of COV-5307?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026) lot 10114 (2026).
- When was COV-5307 posted?
- COV-5307 is dated 3 February 1827, within the recorded period of use of Ongole HG 1 (1827).
About this record
This 3 February 1827 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Ongole HG 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Scarce” in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), lot 10114, (2026).