Post office · Bengal Presidency
DaccaPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Dacca postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 11 Dacca handstamps recorded between 1775 and 1854, Bengal Presidency, with 39 Dacca covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 11
- Recorded
- 1775–1854
- Rare
- 4
Dacca has been the capital of East Bengal ever since 1608, and is situated 23°43' N and 90°24' E, on the north bank of the Burhi Ganga River, 254 miles from Calcutta.
Dacca has 11 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1775–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Dacca handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1775–1783 | 3 examples recorded |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1799 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1806–1820 | 4 examples recorded |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1813 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1815–1821 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1820–1836 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1812–1818 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1824–1834 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1854 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Black | 1854 | Common |
| HG 10A | Handstamp | Red | 1852–1854 | Rare |
Dacca— postal history & markings
Dacca's record is small — eleven handstamps — but it reaches back to 1775, among the earliest dates on the census, with HG 1 known from three examples. The early marks are the scarce ones: HG 2 of 1799 survives from a single strike, and HG 3 of 1806 from three. The office worked almost entirely in black, with red on only a couple of marks.
The distinctions here are in punctuation and administration. HG 4 sets stops between the words, HG 5 omits them, and HG 6 uses crosses — small details that separate the mid-period dies. HG 7 and HG 8 are noted as the point of military handover to the civil post office, a reminder that Dacca's posts, like many, passed from army to civil control. Capital of East Bengal since 1608, the town leaves a short but genuinely early record, and its 1775 opener is one to seek.
Frequently asked — Dacca postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Dacca?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Dacca are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Dacca post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Dacca was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 11 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1775 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Dacca?
- 11 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Dacca in this census, of which 4 are graded rare or better. Each mark carries its Hammond Giles catalogue figure number, colour, date range, evidence-based rarity grade, and links to every surviving cover recorded with it.
- What is Dacca called today?
- Dacca is the colonial-era name of present-day Dhaka, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Dacca postmark or cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impressions on this page — each figure shows the mark's design, ink colour and recorded date range. If your Dacca cover bears a mark that matches a figure, open that figure's page to see every recorded example with provenance. If it matches none, it may be unrecorded: submit photographs through the form on this page and the editors will review it for inclusion in the census.
For background on the material itself, see the guides to the handstruck stamps of India, the pre covers of India and the pre stamp covers of India, which explain how marks like those recorded at Dacca were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Dacca, Dhaka, Dacca HG 1, Dacca handstruck stamps, Dacca pre stamp covers, Dacca postal history.
How to cite
“Dacca, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/dacca (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Dacca?
If you hold a cover or strike from Dacca that does not match any figure above, submit it below. Approved additions appear here as new entries in the census — every submission is reviewed first.
Same presidency
Other post offices in the Bengal Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Bengal Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.