Bengal Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Bongong HG 1
- Colour & date
- Red1852
- Rarity
- 1 example recorded
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- Stampbay
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Bongong HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Bongong HG 1 handstamp
Bongaon, or Bangaon (the Bongong of early records), is a city in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, near the Bangladesh border on the Ichhamati river, a trade and route town toward Jessore. It lay on the roads of the eastern Calcutta hinterland. Within the Bengal Presidency it served as a post town, and its pre-1854 markings record the mail of the frontier country east of Calcutta.
Bongong HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Bongong — the present-day Bangaon — in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1852. Known strikes are in red. Its "HG 1" designation is the figure number assigned in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.
A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "1 example recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for bongong pre stamp covers, bongong postal history or "Bongong HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Bongong marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Bongong HG 1 handstamp?
- Bongong HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Bongong (modern Bangaon) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1852. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in red.
- How rare is Bongong HG 1?
- Bongong HG 1 has 1 example recorded in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.
- What does a Bongong pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Bongong is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG 1. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.
- How do I identify or submit a Bongong HG 1 cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1852). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.
Suggest a correction
Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.
Also searched as: Bongong HG 1, Bongong HG1, Bongong Giles 1, Bangaon postal history, Bongong handstamp, Bongong pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Bongong HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/bongong/hg-1 (accessed 16 August 2026).
Updated: 16 Aug 2026