

Scan or Photo Courtesy of StampBay Auctions
Date
1824
Description
1824 BENARES POST PAID Giles 3 on folded letter to London with Calcutta General Post Office Giles SD 8b
Auction
Provenance
StampBay Auction 11, Lot 6
Same office
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 4handstampBlack1827-35
- Benares HG 5handstampBlack1829
- Benares HG 6handstampBlack1832–1835
- Benares HG 7handstampRed1838–1853
+12 more at this office.View all Benares marks and postal history →
About this Benares pre stamp cover
COV-1496 is a Benares pre stamp cover of 1824 bearing the Benares HG 3 handstamp, struck in black, recorded in the census of Benares postal history — the office known today as Varanasi, North Western Provinces. What is a pre stamp cover?
1824 BENARES POST PAID Giles 3 on folded letter to London with Calcutta General Post Office Giles SD 8b
Its recorded auction history runs through StampBay 13 lot 4.
2 images of COV-1496 are recorded; the Benares HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1824–1836.
Questions about COV-1496
- What is COV-1496?
- COV-1496 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Benares, North Western Provinces of 1824, bearing the Benares HG 3 handstamp in black. 1824 BENARES POST PAID Giles 3 on folded letter to London with Calcutta General Post Office Giles SD 8b
- How scarce is the Benares HG 3 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Benares HG 3 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1824–1836.
- What is the provenance of COV-1496?
- Its recorded auction history runs through StampBay 13 lot 4.
- When was COV-1496 posted?
- COV-1496 is dated 1824, within the recorded period of use of Benares HG 3 (1824–1836).
About this record
This 1824 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Benares HG 3 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 19 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with StampBay, 13, lot 4.

