Scan or Photo Courtesy of Spink
Description
1826 (10 July) entire letter to London with fine double ring "calcutta/general post office" handstamp with date inserted by hand on the front, red Calcutta datestamp of 17 July, framed "india letter/milford" (Robertson In. 1) on the reverse; fine and very scarce. Photo
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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 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-3272 is a Benares pre stamp cover of 1826 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?
1826 (10 July) entire letter to London with fine double ring "calcutta/general post office" handstamp with date inserted by hand on the front, red Calcutta datestamp of 17 July, framed "india letter/milford" (Robertson In. 1) on the reverse; fine and very scarce. Photo
Its recorded auction history runs through Spink 19029 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale lot 1316 (1826).
1 image of COV-3272 is recorded (front); the Benares HG 3 mark itself is recorded in use 1824–1836.
Questions about COV-3272
- What is COV-3272?
- COV-3272 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Benares, North Western Provinces of 1826, bearing the Benares HG 3 handstamp in black. 1826 (10 July) entire letter to London with fine double ring "calcutta/general post office" handstamp with date inserted by hand on the front, red Calcutta datestamp of 17 July, framed "india letter/milford" (Robertson In. 1) on the reverse; fine and very scarce. Photo
- 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-3272?
- Its recorded auction history runs through Spink 19029 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale lot 1316 (1826).
About this record
This 1826 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 18 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with Spink, 19029 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale, lot 1316, (1826).