Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Cutwa HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Cutwa HG 1 handstamp
Katwa (the Cutwa of early records) is a town in Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal, at the confluence of the Ganges and Ajay rivers, a historic river port and a place of note in Vaishnava history. It was a grain and trade mart of central Bengal. As a post town of the Bengal Presidency its pre-1854 markings record the mail of the Bardhaman riverside.
Cutwa HG 1 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of the post office at Cutwa — the present-day Katwa — in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1855. 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 "Scarce" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for cutwa pre stamp covers, cutwa postal history or "Cutwa HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Cutwa marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Cutwa HG 1 handstamp?
- Cutwa HG 1 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of Cutwa (modern Katwa) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1855. 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 Cutwa HG 1?
- Cutwa HG 1 is graded "Scarce" 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 Cutwa pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Cutwa 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 Cutwa 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 (1855). 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: Cutwa HG 1, Cutwa HG1, Cutwa Giles 1, Katwa postal history, Cutwa handstamp, Cutwa pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Cutwa HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/cutwa/hg-1 (accessed 22 July 2026).
Updated: 22 Jul 2026