What is the Tumlook HG 1 handstamp?

Tumlook HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Tumlook (modern Tamluk) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1837. 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 Tumlook HG 1?

Tumlook 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 Tumlook pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?

A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Tumlook 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 Tumlook 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 (1837). 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.

Bengal Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp

Tumlook HG 1

Handstamp

Colour & date: Black1837
Rarity: Scarce
Catalogue: 1989 Catalogue · p. 208
Figure: 1
Submitted by: D. Hammond Giles

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Census

Census records

1 cover recorded

1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Tumlook HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-766

23 February 1837

1837 : H.G. 1: This cover has the only recorded example of the "TUMLOOK / POST OFFICE" despatch mark on a LETTER POSTED ON 23rd February, 1837. TUMLOOK was famous for Indigo, silk and copper. It was also a place of great pilgrimage. Earlier the Hindu tradition place was 8 miles off the sea, but the process of land-making at the mouth of the river Hooghly has gone on slowly and steadily, and has left Tumlook an island village, which is now 60 miles away from the sea.

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About this mark

The Tumlook HG 1 handstamp

Tumlook (Tamluk) is the headquarters of a subdivison of Midnapore District, Bengal, situated 22°18' N and 87°56' E, on the banks of the Rupnarayan River. Indigo, silk, and copper were the chief exports from ancient Tumlook; it is a place of great pilgrimage, The earliest Hindu tradition places the sea 8 miles off, but the process of land-making at the mouth of the Hooghly has gone on slowly and steadily, and has left Tumlook an island village, now 60 miles distant from the sea,

Tumlook HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Tumlook — the present-day Tamluk — in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1837. Known strikes are in black. It is listed in 1989 Catalogue, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG 1".

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 tumlook pre stamp covers, tumlook postal history or "Tumlook HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Tumlook marks.

Frequently asked

What is the Tumlook HG 1 handstamp?: Tumlook HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Tumlook (modern Tamluk) in the Bengal Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1837. 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 Tumlook HG 1?: Tumlook 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 Tumlook pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?: A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Tumlook 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 Tumlook 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 (1837). 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.

Same office

Other recorded marks at Tumlook

1 mark

One other pre-1854 postal marking of Tumlook is recorded in the census. Compare it against this mark to place your cover.

Tumlook HG 2handstampRed1852

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Suggest a correction

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Also searched as: Tumlook HG 1, Tumlook HG1, Tumlook Giles 1, Tamluk postal history, Tumlook handstamp, Tumlook pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Tumlook HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bengal/tumlook/hg-1 (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026