Bengal Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Gurbettah HG 1
- Colour & date
- Black1850
- Rarity
- 1 example recorded
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- Stampbay
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Gurbettah HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Gurbettah HG 1 handstamp
Garhbeta (the Gurbettah of early records) is a town in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, on the Silabati river in the Rarh borderland, known for the ravines of the Gongoni khal nearby. It was a market and route town of the Medinipur uplands. As a post town of the Bengal Presidency its pre-1854 markings trace the mail of the western Bengal country.
Gurbettah HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Gurbettah — the present-day Garbeta — in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1850. Known strikes are in black. 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 gurbettah pre stamp covers, gurbettah postal history or "Gurbettah HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Gurbettah marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Gurbettah HG 1 handstamp?
- Gurbettah HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Gurbettah (modern Garbeta) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1850. 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 Gurbettah HG 1?
- Gurbettah 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 Gurbettah pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Gurbettah 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 Gurbettah 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 (1850). 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: Gurbettah HG 1, Gurbettah HG1, Gurbettah Giles 1, Garbeta postal history, Gurbettah handstamp, Gurbettah pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Gurbettah HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/gurbettah/hg-1 (accessed 17 August 2026).
Updated: 17 Aug 2026