Post office · Bengal Presidency
Sylhet
- Handstamps
- 2
- Recorded
- 1810–1851
Sylhet, the headquarters of Sylhet District, Assam, did not enter British India until 1826. It is situated 24°53' N and 91°52' E, on the right bank of the Surma River, and after being ceded with all Assam by the Burmese to the East India Company under the Treaty of Yandabo, it was, in the early days much neglected by the Company, being on the outskirts of the Company's territories.
Sylhet has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1810–1851 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Sylhet handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Frequently asked — Sylhet postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Sylhet?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Sylhet are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Sylhet post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Sylhet was a post office of the Bengal Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1810 and 1851.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Sylhet?
- 2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Sylhet in this census. 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.
- How do I identify a Sylhet 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 Sylhet 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: Sylhet, Sylhet HG 1, Sylhet handstruck stamps, Sylhet pre stamp covers, Sylhet postal history.
How to cite
“Sylhet, Bengal Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/sylhet (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Sylhet?
If you hold a cover or strike from Sylhet 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.