What is the Bombay X14 handstamp?

Bombay X14 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of Bombay (modern Mumbai) in the Bombay Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1858. The "X14" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in red.

How rare is Bombay X14?

Bombay X14 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 Bombay pre stamp cover with X14 look like?

A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Bombay is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like X14. 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 Bombay X14 cover?

Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1858). 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.

Bombay Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp

Bombay X14

Handstamp

Colour & date: Red1858
Rarity: 1 example recorded
Figure: X14
Submitted by: Jochen Heddergott

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Census

Census records

1 cover recorded

1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Bombay X14 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-1442

10 May 1858

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About this mark

The Bombay X14 handstamp

Mumbai, also known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra — the financial capital and most populous city of India, on the Konkan coast of the Arabian Sea.

Bombay X14 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of the post office at Bombay — the present-day Mumbai — in the Bombay Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1858. Known strikes are in red. Its "X14" 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 bombay pre stamp covers, bombay postal history or "Bombay X14" material can compare X14 across every office or browse the rest of the Bombay marks.

Frequently asked

What is the Bombay X14 handstamp?: Bombay X14 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of Bombay (modern Mumbai) in the Bombay Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1858. The "X14" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in red.
How rare is Bombay X14?: Bombay X14 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 Bombay pre stamp cover with X14 look like?: A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Bombay is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like X14. 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 Bombay X14 cover?: Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1858). 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 Bombay

109 marks

109 other pre-1854 postal markings of Bombay are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.

View all Bombay marks and postal history →

Suggest a correction

Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.

Also searched as: Bombay X14, Bombay Giles X14, Mumbai postal history, Bombay handstamp, Bombay pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Bombay X14 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/bombay/x14 (accessed 16 August 2026).

Updated: 16 Aug 2026