Scan or Photo Courtesy of Private
Date
1853
Description
Letter written at Benares 6 July and put in the post the same day Letter arrived Bombay — 25 Jul 53 Letter taken to Galle by boat arriving — 17 Aug Mail put on the P&O SS. Precursor — 17 Aug Mail arrived Suez — 7 Sep Mail carried overland by camel and donkey to Alexandria — 10 Sep Mail carried from Alexandria on the P&O SS. Euxine — 10 Sep Mail arrived at Malta — 14 Sep Mail transfered to the S.S. Vectis which sailed to Marseille — 16 Sep Overland across France by rail to Calais, arriving in London. — 19 Sep Put on the SS. Baltic of the Collins Line which sailed from Liverpool — 21 Sep S.S. Baltic arrived in New York. — 3 Oct 1853 The S.S. Euxine sailed on from Malta to Southampton arriving 24 Sept, too late to catch the S.S. Baltic. The addressee had to pay on delivery of this letter — 65c The manuscript 44 is the U.S credit to Britain = 1s10d Pkt rate to London — 44c Ocean postage to USA by American packet — 16c US internal postage — 5c Total days in transit — 89 Days Postage — 65c
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Other recorded marks at Benares
18 marks18 other pre-1854 postal markings of Benares are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Benares HG 1handstampBlack1810–1820
- Benares HG 2handstampBlack1811
- Benares HG 3handstampBlack1824–1836
- Benares HG 4handstampBlack1827-35
- Benares HG 5handstampBlack1829
- Benares HG 6handstampBlack1832–1835
+12 more at this office.View all Benares marks and postal history →
About this Benares pre stamp cover
COV-4768 is a Benares pre stamp cover of 1853 bearing the Benares HG 17 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Benares postal history — the office known today as Varanasi, North Western Provinces. What is a pre stamp cover?
Letter written at Benares 6 July and put in the post the same day Letter arrived Bombay — 25 Jul 53 Letter taken to Galle by boat arriving — 17 Aug Mail put on the P&O SS. Precursor — 17 Aug Mail arrived Suez — 7 Sep Mail carried overland by camel and donkey to Alexandria — 10 Sep Mail carried from Alexandria on the P&O SS. Euxine — 10 Sep Mail arrived at Malta — 14 Sep Mail transfered to the S.S. Vectis which sailed to Marseille — 16 Sep Overland across France by rail to Calais, arriving in London. — 19 Sep Put on the SS. Baltic of the Collins Line which sailed from Liverpool — 21 Sep S.S. Baltic arrived in New York. — 3 Oct 1853 The S.S. Euxine sailed on from Malta to Southampton arriving 24 Sept, too late to catch the S.S. Baltic. The addressee had to pay on delivery of this letter — 65c The manuscript 44 is the U.S credit to Britain = 1s10d Pkt rate to London — 44c Ocean postage to USA by American packet — 16c US internal postage — 5c Total days in transit — 89 Days Postage — 65c
Its recorded auction history runs through Private.
2 images of COV-4768 are recorded (front, back); the Benares HG 17 mark itself is recorded in use 1854.
Questions about COV-4768
- What is COV-4768?
- COV-4768 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Benares, North Western Provinces of 1853, bearing the Benares HG 17 handstamp in red. Letter written at Benares 6 July and put in the post the same day Letter arrived Bombay — 25 Jul 53 Letter taken to Galle by boat arriving — 17 Aug Mail put on the P&O SS. Precursor — 17 Aug Mail arrived Suez — 7 Sep Mail carried overland by camel and donkey to Alexandria — 10 Sep Mail carried from Alexandria on the P&O SS. Euxine — 10 Sep Mail arrived at Malta — 14 Sep Mail transfered to the S.S. Vectis which sailed to Marseille — 16 Sep Overland across France by rail to Calais, arriving in London. — 19 Sep Put on the SS. Baltic of the Collins Line which sailed from Liverpool — 21 Sep S.S. Baltic arrived in New York. — 3 Oct 1853 The S.S. Euxine sailed on from Malta to Southampton arriving 24 Sept, too late to catch the S.S. Baltic. The addressee had to pay on delivery of this letter — 65c The manuscript 44 is the U.S credit to Britain = 1s10d Pkt rate to London — 44c Ocean postage to USA by American packet — 16c US internal postage — 5c Total days in transit — 89 Days Postage — 65c
- How scarce is the Benares HG 17 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Benares HG 17 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1854.
- What is the provenance of COV-4768?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Private.
- When was COV-4768 posted?
- COV-4768 is dated 1853, within the recorded period of use of Benares HG 17 (1854).
About this record
This 1853 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Benares HG 17 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 3 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Private.