Post office · Bombay Presidency
KirkeePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Kirkee postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 7 Kirkee handstamps recorded between 1835 and 1857, Bombay Presidency, with 6 Kirkee covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 7
- Recorded
- 1835–1857
- Rare
- 1
Kirkee is a town in the Poona District, Bombay Presidency, situated 18°34' N and 73°51' E, 116 miles south-east of Bombay and 4 north-west of Poona. On Nov. 1817 the first of three battles fought near Kirkee led to the collapse of the Maratha power.
Kirkee has 7 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1835–1857 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Kirkee handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Kirkee— postal history & markings
Kirkee's seven marks, from 1835 to 1857, are worked almost entirely in red — only its first handstamp is black. The scarce entry is HG 1A of 1835, known from a single example and pairing 'KIRKEE' with a 'POST PAID' handstamp. The town, just north-west of Poona, gave its name to the first of three battles fought nearby in November 1817 that helped end Maratha power in the region. Its post is otherwise a run of common red strikes, but that single-example POST PAID mark, from a place better known for a battle, is Kirkee's distinguishing piece.
Frequently asked — Kirkee postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Kirkee?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Kirkee are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Kirkee post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Kirkee was a post office of the Bombay Presidency, British India, and this census records 7 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1835 and 1857.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Kirkee?
- 7 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Kirkee in this census, of which 1 is graded rare or better. 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.
- What is Kirkee called today?
- Kirkee is the colonial-era name of present-day Khadki, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Kirkee 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 Kirkee 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 Kirkee were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Kirkee, Khadki, Kirkee HG 1, Kirkee handstruck stamps, Kirkee pre stamp covers, Kirkee postal history.
How to cite
“Kirkee, Bombay Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/kirkee (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Kirkee?
If you hold a cover or strike from Kirkee 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.