COV-4844 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Benares, North Western Provinces of 1849, bearing the Benares HG 17 handstamp in red. India 1849-1854 correspondence to New York via Liverpool

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 1853–1854.

When was COV-4844 posted?

COV-4844 is dated 1849, within the recorded period of use of Benares HG 17 (1853–1854).

COV-4844

1849 Benares HG 17 Cover

Back to census|Benares HG 17 · 4 covers recorded

← COV-4768

1849 Benares HG 17 pre stamp cover — COV-4844

Benares HG 17 pre stamp cover — scan 2 (COV-4844)

Scan or Photo Courtesy of Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's

Date

1849

Description

India 1849-1854 correspondence to New York via Liverpool

Auction

Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's

Stamps and Covers of Asia & the Middle East, Lot 195, (2025)

Same office

Other recorded marks at Benares

18 marks

18 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.

+12 more at this office.View all Benares marks and postal history →

About this Benares pre stamp cover

COV-4844 is a Benares pre stamp cover of 1849 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?

India 1849-1854 correspondence to New York via Liverpool

Its recorded auction history runs through Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's Stamps and Covers of Asia & the Middle East lot 195 (2025).

2 images of COV-4844 are recorded; the Benares HG 17 mark itself is recorded in use 1853–1854.

Questions about COV-4844

What is COV-4844?: COV-4844 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Benares, North Western Provinces of 1849, bearing the Benares HG 17 handstamp in red. India 1849-1854 correspondence to New York via Liverpool
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 1853–1854.
What is the provenance of COV-4844?: Its recorded auction history runs through Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's Stamps and Covers of Asia & the Middle East lot 195 (2025).
When was COV-4844 posted?: COV-4844 is dated 1849, within the recorded period of use of Benares HG 17 (1853–1854).

About this record

This 1849 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 4 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's, Stamps and Covers of Asia & the Middle East, lot 195, (2025).