What is the Bombay X3 handstamp?

Bombay X3 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of Bombay (modern Mumbai) in the Bombay Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1858. The "X3" 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 Bombay X3?

Bombay X3 is graded "Common" in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. No surviving cover bearing this mark has been recorded in the census yet — if you hold one, it may be the first recorded example.

What does a Bombay pre stamp cover with X3 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 X3. No surviving cover bearing this mark has been recorded in the census yet — if you hold one, it may be the first recorded example. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.

How do I identify or submit a Bombay X3 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 X3

Handstamp

Colour & date: Black1858
Rarity: Common
Catalogue: 1989 Catalogue · p. 41
Figure: X3
Submitted by: D. Hammond Giles

← X2 All Bombay X4 →

Census

Census records

0 covers recorded

No pre stamp cover bearing the Bombay X3 handstamp has been recorded yet. If you hold one, submit it below.

No covers bearing this mark have been recorded yet. If you hold one, your submission — once reviewed — will appear here.

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About this mark

The Bombay X3 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 X3 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 black. It is listed in 1989 Catalogue, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "X3".

No surviving cover bearing this mark has been recorded in the census yet — if you hold one, it may be the first recorded example. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "Common" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for bombay pre stamp covers, bombay postal history or "Bombay X3" material can compare X3 across every office or browse the rest of the Bombay marks.

Frequently asked

What is the Bombay X3 handstamp?: Bombay X3 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of Bombay (modern Mumbai) in the Bombay Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1858. The "X3" 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 Bombay X3?: Bombay X3 is graded "Common" in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. No surviving cover bearing this mark has been recorded in the census yet — if you hold one, it may be the first recorded example.
What does a Bombay pre stamp cover with X3 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 X3. No surviving cover bearing this mark has been recorded in the census yet — if you hold one, it may be the first recorded example. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.
How do I identify or submit a Bombay X3 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 X3, Bombay Giles X3, Mumbai postal history, Bombay handstamp, Bombay pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Bombay X3 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/bombay/x3 (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026