Post office · Bombay Presidency
MahableshwarPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Mahableshwar postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 8 Mahableshwar handstamps recorded between 1846 and 1858, Bombay Presidency, with 8 Mahableshwar covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 8
- Recorded
- 1846–1858
- Rare
- 1
Mahableshwar is 4500 feet above sea level, situated 1r56' N and 73°40' E, in Satara District, in the Bombay Presidency. It was established by Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Bombay, in 1828, as a sanitarium.
Mahableshwar has 8 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1846–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Mahableshwar handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Mahableshwar— postal history & markings
Mahableshwar's seven handstamps, from 1846 to 1858, belong to a Bombay Presidency hill sanitarium — established in 1828 by Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Bombay, at four and a half thousand feet in the Satara hills. The office worked chiefly in red, with a single black mark, and most of its strikes are common; HG 2a and HG 3A are the scarcer exceptions. Like other hill stations, its interest is less in rarity than in setting: the seasonal post of a health resort to which Bombay's officials retreated. For the collector, Mahableshwar rounds out the map of the presidency's cool-weather sanitaria.
Frequently asked — Mahableshwar postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Mahableshwar?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Mahableshwar are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Mahableshwar post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Mahableshwar was a post office of the Bombay Presidency, British India, and this census records 8 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1846 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Mahableshwar?
- 8 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Mahableshwar 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 Mahableshwar called today?
- Mahableshwar is the colonial-era name of present-day Mahabaleshwar, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Mahableshwar 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 Mahableshwar 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 Mahableshwar were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Mahableshwar, Mahabaleshwar, Mahableshwar HG 1, Mahableshwar handstruck stamps, Mahableshwar pre stamp covers, Mahableshwar postal history.
How to cite
“Mahableshwar, Bombay Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/mahableshwar (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Mahableshwar?
If you hold a cover or strike from Mahableshwar 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.