Post office · Bombay Presidency
RajkotePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Rajkote postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 6 Rajkote handstamps recorded between 1838 and 1856, Bombay Presidency, with 7 Rajkote covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 6
- Recorded
- 1838–1856
- Rare
- 1
Rajkote is the capital of Rajkote State in the Kathiawar Political Agency, situated 22°18' N and 70°50' E. It was the residence of the Agent of the Governor in Kathiawar.
Rajkote has 6 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1838–1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Rajkote handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Rajkote— postal history & markings
Rajkote's six handstamps, from 1838 to 1856, are worked across an unusually wide range of colour for so small a run: red and black, a mauve strike in HG 5, and HG 4 recorded once in blue. Several of the marks are scarce, and the late HG 6 of 1856 is rare. The town was the capital of Rajkote State and the residence of the Governor's Agent in the Kathiawar Political Agency, and its post served that seat of authority among the peninsula's princely states. For the collector, it is the colour range — mauve and a single blue — that gives this compact Kathiawar record its distinction.
Frequently asked — Rajkote postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Rajkote?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Rajkote are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Rajkote post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Rajkote was a post office of the Bombay Presidency, British India, and this census records 6 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1838 and 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Rajkote?
- 6 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Rajkote 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 Rajkote called today?
- Rajkote is the colonial-era name of present-day Rajkot, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Rajkote 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 Rajkote 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 Rajkote were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Rajkote, Rajkot, Rajkote HG 1, Rajkote handstruck stamps, Rajkote pre stamp covers, Rajkote postal history.
How to cite
“Rajkote, Bombay Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/rajkote (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Rajkote?
If you hold a cover or strike from Rajkote 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.