Post office · Bombay Presidency
SholapoorPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Sholapoor postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 8 Sholapoor handstamps recorded between 1836 and 1856, Bombay Presidency, with 16 Sholapoor covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 8
- Recorded
- 1836–1856
- Rare
- 3
Sholapoor is the headquarters of Sholapoor District, Bombay, situated 1r40' N and 75°54' E. In 1795 it was ceded by the Nizam to the Marathas, and at the close of the war with the Peshwa in 1818, it was stormed by General Munro.
Sholapoor has 8 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1836–1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Sholapoor handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Sholapoor— postal history & markings
Sholapoor's eight handstamps, from 1836 to 1856, are worked mainly in red, with black on a pair and — unusually — a single strike in blue. The early marks are the scarce ones: HG 1 of 1836 is scarce, and HG 2 of the same year is known from a single example.
The town had been ceded by the Nizam to the Marathas in 1795 and was stormed by General Munro at the close of the war with the Peshwa in 1818. Its post is a modest district record, but the combination of that scarce, one-example opening and the lone blue mark gives Sholapoor a little more to distinguish it than its eight strikes might promise.
Frequently asked — Sholapoor postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Sholapoor?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Sholapoor are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Sholapoor post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Sholapoor was a post office of the Bombay Presidency, British India, and this census records 8 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1836 and 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Sholapoor?
- 8 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Sholapoor in this census, of which 3 are 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 Sholapoor called today?
- Sholapoor is the colonial-era name of present-day Solapur, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Sholapoor 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 Sholapoor 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 Sholapoor were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Sholapoor, Solapur, Sholapoor HG 1, Sholapoor handstruck stamps, Sholapoor pre stamp covers, Sholapoor postal history.
How to cite
“Sholapoor, Bombay Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/bombay/sholapoor (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Sholapoor?
If you hold a cover or strike from Sholapoor 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.