Post office · Burma
MoulmeinPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Moulmein postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 7 Moulmein handstamps recorded between 1839 and 1855, Burma, with 30 Moulmein covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 7
- Recorded
- 1839–1855
- Rare
- 7
Mawlamyine (also spelled Mawlamyaing; Burmese: မော်လမြိုင်မြို့, MLCTS: mau la. mruing mrui., Burmese pronunciation: [mɔ̀ləmjàɪ̯ɰ̃ mjo̰]; Thai: เมาะลำเลิง; Mon: မတ်မလီု, Mon pronunciation: [mo̤t məlɜ̤m]), formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), 300 kilometres (190 mi) southeast of Yangon and 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Thaton, at the mouth of Thanlwin (Salween) River. Mawlamyine was an ancient city and the first capital of British Burma. It also serves as the capital of Mon State.
Moulmein has 7 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1839–1855 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Moulmein handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Moulmein— postal history & markings
Moulmein's seven markings all belong to British Burma, administered in this period through Bengal, and every one of them — FP 1 through FP 7 — is rare. The office worked in both black and red. As a Burmese office, Moulmein lies outside the Hammond Giles catalogue of British India proper, and its marks are recorded here directly from surviving material rather than from an existing reference. That every strike is rare makes the office's small record especially valuable to document: a complete run of scarce handstamps from one of the principal ports of the Tenasserim coast.
Frequently asked — Moulmein postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Moulmein?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Moulmein are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Moulmein post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Moulmein was a post office of the Burma, British India, and this census records 7 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1839 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Moulmein?
- 7 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Moulmein in this census, of which 7 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 Moulmein called today?
- Moulmein is the colonial-era name of present-day Mawlamyine, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Moulmein 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 Moulmein 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 Moulmein were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Moulmein, Mawlamyine, Moulmein handstruck stamps, Moulmein pre stamp covers, Moulmein postal history.
How to cite
“Moulmein, Burma — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/burma/moulmein (accessed 13 November 2026).
Updated: 13 Nov 2026
An unrecorded mark from Moulmein?
If you hold a cover or strike from Moulmein 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 Burma
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Burma post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.