Scan or Photo Courtesy of Grosvenor Auctions
Date
1843
Description
India: Covers and Cancellations: 1843 (ca.) stampless folded envelope addressed in English and Urdu to the Raja Vishwanath Singh in Rewah (Governor, 1835-54) endorsed “Service” at top and “Official Letter” at lower left, with separate enclosure in Urdu, the reverse of the cover with an octagonal seal marking in black and a red oval “ALLAHABAD/18 March/FREE” mark, the latter very rare and uncatalogued until the 1993 Giles supplement as #4b, mostly fine. Photo.
Auction
GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, Lot 919, (2025)
Same office
Other recorded marks at Allahabad
14 marks14 other pre-1854 postal markings of Allahabad are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Allahabad HG 1handstampRed1830–1836
- Allahabad HG 1ahandstampBlack1838
- Allahabad HG 1bhandstampBlack—
- Allahabad HG 2handstampRed1836
- Allahabad HG 3handstampBlack1835–1836
- Allahabad HG 4handstampRed1837–1843
+8 more at this office.View all Allahabad marks and postal history →
About this Allahabad pre stamp cover
COV-5392 is an Allahabad pre stamp cover of 1843 bearing the Allahabad HG 4b handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Allahabad postal history — the office known today as Prayagraj, North Western Provinces. What is a pre stamp cover?
India: Covers and Cancellations: 1843 (ca.) stampless folded envelope addressed in English and Urdu to the Raja Vishwanath Singh in Rewah (Governor, 1835-54) endorsed “Service” at top and “Official Letter” at lower left, with separate enclosure in Urdu, the reverse of the cover with an octagonal seal marking in black and a red oval “ALLAHABAD/18 March/FREE” mark, the latter very rare and uncatalogued until the 1993 Giles supplement as #4b, mostly fine. Photo.
Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 919 (2025).
1 image of COV-5392 is recorded; the Allahabad HG 4b mark itself is recorded in use 1838–1844.
Questions about COV-5392
- What is COV-5392?
- COV-5392 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Allahabad, North Western Provinces of 1843, bearing the Allahabad HG 4b handstamp in red. India: Covers and Cancellations: 1843 (ca.) stampless folded envelope addressed in English and Urdu to the Raja Vishwanath Singh in Rewah (Governor, 1835-54) endorsed “Service” at top and “Official Letter” at lower left, with separate enclosure in Urdu, the reverse of the cover with an octagonal seal marking in black and a red oval “ALLAHABAD/18 March/FREE” mark, the latter very rare and uncatalogued until the 1993 Giles supplement as #4b, mostly fine. Photo.
- How scarce is the Allahabad HG 4b mark on this cover?
- The census grades Allahabad HG 4b as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1838–1844.
- What is the provenance of COV-5392?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries lot 919 (2025).
- When was COV-5392 posted?
- COV-5392 is dated 1843, within the recorded period of use of Allahabad HG 4b (1838–1844).
About this record
This 1843 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Allahabad HG 4b handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 8 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions, GPA 174: British Empire & Foreign Countries, lot 919, (2025).