Bengal Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Culpee HG 1
- Colour & date
- Black1776
- Rarity
- 3 examples recorded
- Catalogue
- 1989 Catalogue · p. 74
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- D. Hammond Giles
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Culpee HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Culpee HG 1 handstamp
Culpee, south of Calcutta, on the east bank of the Hooghly River, about 50 miles from Calcutta. There was a post office from 1766, but it is not in the 1854 list, having been superceded by Kedgeree as the first landfall for Calcutta from seaward.
Culpee HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Culpee — the present-day Kulpi — in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1776. Known strikes are in black. It is listed in 1989 Catalogue, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG 1".
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 "3 examples recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for culpee pre stamp covers, culpee postal history or "Culpee HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Culpee marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Culpee HG 1 handstamp?
- Culpee HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Culpee (modern Kulpi) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1776. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.
- How rare is Culpee HG 1?
- Culpee HG 1 has 3 examples 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 Culpee pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Culpee 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 Culpee 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 (1776). 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: Culpee HG 1, Culpee HG1, Culpee Giles 1, Kulpi postal history, Culpee handstamp, Culpee pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Culpee HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/culpee/hg-1 (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026