Reference
Glossary
Terms used in the study of pre-1854 handstruck postal markings of India — from Giles catalogue references to rarity grades, Ship Letters to Receiving Houses. To look any of these up in the census, see the search guide, or browse marks by type such as Intaglio.
- Handstruck stamp
- A postal marking applied by hand using a metal, wood or rubber device — as opposed to a machine cancellation. In India before 1854, all postal markings were handstruck. The term covers town datestamps, "Post Paid" and "Bearing" marks, Ship Letter stamps and other office handstamps.
- Browse all post offices →
- Handstamp
- Short for handstruck stamp. Used interchangeably with "cancellation" or "postal marking" when referring to pre-1854 Indian post office marks.
- HG
- Abbreviation for Hammond Giles, the compiler of the standard catalogue of Indian handstruck stamps. "HG 1" means the first handstamp listed for a given post office in the Giles catalogue. Each office has its own HG numbering sequence — Madras HG 1 and Bangalore HG 1 are completely different marks.
- About Hammond Giles →Madras HG 1 →Bangalore HG 1 →
- Giles number
- The catalogue reference number assigned by Derek Hammond Giles to each handstruck postal marking. Auction houses and collectors use Giles numbers (e.g. "Calcutta Giles 1a", "Madras HG 3") to identify specific marks. The numbering follows the order in the published catalogue, not chronological order.
- The Giles catalogue →
- Pre stamp cover
- A letter or folded cover carried through the mail before adhesive postage stamps were introduced. In India, adhesive stamps came into use on 1 October 1854, so a pre stamp cover is one sent before that date, typically bearing handstruck postal markings rather than stamps.
- Pre philatelic cover
- Another term for a pre stamp cover — a letter sent before adhesive postage stamps existed. In Indian postal history, this means before 1 October 1854.
- Entire letter
- A complete folded letter with its original contents intact, showing the postal markings on the outside. Before envelopes became common, letters were written on a single sheet, folded and sealed, then posted. An entire is more desirable to collectors than a front (the address side only) because it preserves the full text.
- Datestamp
- A postal marking that includes a date — typically the day, month, and sometimes the year. Indian pre stamp datestamps were circular, oval or straight-line, and were struck in various ink colours. They serve as evidence of when and where a letter entered the postal system.
- Bearing
- A postal marking indicating that postage was to be collected from the recipient ("to bear" the cost). The opposite of "Post Paid". Bearing marks were struck on unpaid or underpaid letters.
- Post Paid
- A postal marking indicating that the sender had paid the postage in advance. These marks were struck on letters where the fee was collected before dispatch. "Post Paid" and "Bearing" marks are among the most commonly seen pre-1854 Indian handstamps.
- Ship Letter
- A letter carried privately by ship rather than through the official mail system. Ship Letters bore specific handstamps at the port of arrival. In India, the major Ship Letter offices were at Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.
- Madras Ship Despatch marks →
- Ship Despatch (SD)
- A handstamp applied at a port office to letters being despatched by ship. In the Giles catalogue, Ship Despatch marks are numbered with the prefix SD (e.g. SD 1, SD 2).
- Ship Receipt (SR)
- A handstamp applied at a port office to letters received by ship. In the Giles catalogue, Ship Receipt marks use the prefix SR.
- Receiving House
- A sub-office or collection point where letters were received before being forwarded to the main post office. Receiving House marks are particularly associated with Madras, where they are numbered with the prefix MX in the Giles catalogue.
- MX
- The Giles catalogue prefix for Madras Receiving House marks (e.g. MX 1, MX 2). These were sub-office handstamps used at collection points across the Madras Presidency.
- GPO
- General Post Office — the main postal facility in a presidency capital. Calcutta, Bombay and Madras each had a GPO, often with distinctive handstamps separate from the branch offices.
- Forwarding agent
- A private merchant or commercial house that handled the forwarding of mail on behalf of their clients, typically between India and Britain. Forwarding agents applied their own handstamps to letters. Well-known agents include Dorin & Co, Dorin & D'Monte, and others.
- Browse forwarding agents →
- Manuscript marking
- A postal marking written by hand (pen and ink) rather than struck with a device. Before handstamps were introduced at smaller offices, postmasters wrote the office name, date or postage details in manuscript. These are among the earliest Indian postal markings.
- Rarity
- An indication of how scarce a handstamp or cover is. On this site, rarity is derived from the number of recorded covers bearing a given mark: for 1–5 the exact count is shown, then Rare (6–10), Very scarce (11–15), Scarce (16–20), Common (21–49) and Very common (50+).
- Rarity Club →
- Census
- A systematic count and record of surviving examples. This site maintains a census of pre-1854 Indian postal covers — each handstamp page records how many covers bearing that mark have been documented, with scans, provenance and auction history where known.
- Provenance
- The ownership history of a cover — which collections it has passed through, which auction houses have sold it, and any exhibition history. Provenance adds context and helps verify authenticity.