Post office · Bengal Presidency
Poorneea
- Handstamps
- 3
- Recorded
- 1824–1853
- Rare
- 2
Poorneea (Purnea) the headquarters of Poorneea District, Bengal on the east bank of the Saura River, situated 25°46' N and 87°28' E. Poorneea the outlying military province of the Mogul empire The District came into British hands in 1765, along with the rest of Bengal.
Poorneea has 3 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1824–1853 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Poorneea handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Frequently asked — Poorneea postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Poorneea?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Poorneea are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Poorneea post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Poorneea was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 3 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1824 and 1853.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Poorneea?
- 3 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Poorneea in this census, of which 2 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 Poorneea called today?
- Poorneea is the colonial-era name of present-day Purnia, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Purnea. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Poorneea 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 Poorneea 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.
Also searched as: Poorneea, Purnia, Purnea, Poorneea HG 1, Poorneea handstruck stamps, Poorneea pre stamp covers, Poorneea postal history.
How to cite
“Poorneea, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/poorneea (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Poorneea?
If you hold a cover or strike from Poorneea 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.