Post office · Bombay Presidency
MandviePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Mandvie postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 1 Mandvie handstamp recorded in 1856, Bombay Presidency, with 1 Mandvie cover traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 1
- Recorded
- 1856
Mandvie (Mandvi) is a port town in Kutch, Bombay Presidency, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch. It was once the chief port of the Kutch state and a major centre for shipbuilding and maritime trade with East Africa and the Persian Gulf.
Mandvie has 1 pre-1854 hand-struck postal marking from 1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Mandvie handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Red | 1856 | Scarce |
Mandvie— postal history & markings
Mandvie — Mandvi, a port on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch — leaves a single scarce red handstamp, HG 1 of 1856. The record is minimal — one mark, and a scarce one — a genuine target from one of the old trading ports of the western gulf.
Frequently asked — Mandvie postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Mandvie?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Mandvie are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Mandvie post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Mandvie was a post office of the Bombay Presidency, British India, and this census records 1 distinct postal marking used there, dated around 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Mandvie?
- 1 hand-struck postal marking is recorded for Mandvie 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.
- What is Mandvie called today?
- Mandvie is the colonial-era name of present-day Mandvi, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Mandvie 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 Mandvie 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 Mandvie were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Mandvie, Mandvi, Mandvie HG 1, Mandvie handstruck stamps, Mandvie pre stamp covers, Mandvie postal history.
How to cite
“Mandvie, Bombay Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/mandvie (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Mandvie?
If you hold a cover or strike from Mandvie 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.