Post office · Bombay Presidency
DeesaPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Deesa postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 5 Deesa handstamps recorded between 1838 and 1858, Bombay Presidency, with 2 Deesa covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 5
- Recorded
- 1838–1858
Deesa, a cantonment in the Palanpur Agency, Bombay, is situated 24°14' N and 72°12' E, on the River Banas, about 300 miles north-by-west of Bombay. It is surround ed by a wall and towers, and formerly resisted attacks from the Gaikwar of Baroda and the Radhanpur forces.
Deesa has 5 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1838–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Deesa handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Deesa— postal history & markings
Deesa's five handstamps, from 1838 to 1858, are worked mainly in red, but include a strike in blue — HG 4 of 1854 — an uncommon ink that lifts the small run above the ordinary. The marks are otherwise in common use. A walled cantonment in the Palanpur Agency on the River Banas, some three hundred miles north of Bombay, Deesa's post served an isolated garrison on the edge of the Bombay Presidency. For the collector, the blue HG 4 is the entry that distinguishes an otherwise steady record of a remote frontier cantonment.
Frequently asked — Deesa postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Deesa?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Deesa are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Deesa post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Deesa was a post office of the Bombay Presidency, British India, and this census records 5 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1838 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Deesa?
- 5 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Deesa 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 Deesa 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 Deesa 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.
For background on the material itself, see the guides to the handstruck stamps of India, the pre covers of India and the pre stamp covers of India, which explain how marks like those recorded at Deesa were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Deesa, Disa, Deesa HG 1, Deesa handstruck stamps, Deesa pre stamp covers, Deesa postal history.
How to cite
“Deesa, Bombay Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/deesa (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Deesa?
If you hold a cover or strike from Deesa 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 Bombay Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Bombay Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.