Scan or Photo Courtesy of Siegel Auction Galleries
Date
1854
Description
India, 1854, 4a Red & Deep Blue, 4th Printing, Head Die III, Frame Die II (6Fa; SG 22). Cut to shape, margins tight to touching, vignette noticeably shifted upwards , tied by "C/144" cancel with reversed "C" on 1857 cover to Hengerford, England, sender's directive "via Southampton" , red "TANJORE/1857 JULY 19/Paid" framed datestamp on back, red "INDIA PAID" crescent handstamp, Madras (Jul. 21) and London (Sept. 4) transit and Hengerford (Sept. 5) arrival datestamps, cover with edgewear and flaws which just also affect the 4a stamp, Fine, the reversed "C" in the "C1/44" cancel is noted as "very scarce" by Jal Cooper
Auction
The Magnolia Collection: India Postal History, Part 8 (Sale 9061, 21 October 2026), Lot 10140, (2026)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Tanjore
8 marks8 other pre-1854 postal markings of Tanjore are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Tanjore HG 1handstampBlack1796–1819
- Tanjore HG 2handstampBlack1821
- Tanjore HG 3handstampRed1830–1834
- Tanjore HG 3AhandstampBlack1831
- Tanjore HG 4handstampBlack1837
- Tanjore HG 5handstampRed1847
+2 more at this office.View all Tanjore marks and postal history →
About this Tanjore pre stamp cover
COV-5331 is a Tanjore pre stamp cover of 1854 bearing the Tanjore HG 7 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Tanjore postal history — the office known today as Thanjavur, Madras Presidency. What is a pre stamp cover?
India, 1854, 4a Red & Deep Blue, 4th Printing, Head Die III, Frame Die II (6Fa; SG 22). Cut to shape, margins tight to touching, vignette noticeably shifted upwards , tied by "C/144" cancel with reversed "C" on 1857 cover to Hengerford, England, sender's directive "via Southampton" , red "TANJORE/1857 JULY 19/Paid" framed datestamp on back, red "INDIA PAID" crescent handstamp, Madras (Jul. 21) and London (Sept. 4) transit and Hengerford (Sept. 5) arrival datestamps, cover with edgewear and flaws which just also affect the 4a stamp, Fine, the reversed "C" in the "C1/44" cancel is noted as "very scarce" by Jal Cooper
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 10140 (2026).
2 images of COV-5331 are recorded; the Tanjore HG 7 mark itself is recorded in use 1853–1860.
Questions about COV-5331
- What is COV-5331?
- COV-5331 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Tanjore, Madras Presidency of 1854, bearing the Tanjore HG 7 handstamp in red. India, 1854, 4a Red & Deep Blue, 4th Printing, Head Die III, Frame Die II (6Fa; SG 22). Cut to shape, margins tight to touching, vignette noticeably shifted upwards , tied by "C/144" cancel with reversed "C" on 1857 cover to Hengerford, England, sender's directive "via Southampton" , red "TANJORE/1857 JULY 19/Paid" framed datestamp on back, red "INDIA PAID" crescent handstamp, Madras (Jul. 21) and London (Sept. 4) transit and Hengerford (Sept. 5) arrival datestamps, cover with edgewear and flaws which just also affect the 4a stamp, Fine, the reversed "C" in the "C1/44" cancel is noted as "very scarce" by Jal Cooper
- How scarce is the Tanjore HG 7 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Tanjore HG 7 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1853–1860.
- What is the provenance of COV-5331?
- 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 10140 (2026).
- When was COV-5331 posted?
- COV-5331 is dated 1854, within the recorded period of use of Tanjore HG 7 (1853–1860).
About this record
This 1854 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Tanjore HG 7 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 10 surviving covers with this mark recorded. 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 10140, (2026).