What is the Chicacole HG 1 handstamp?

Chicacole HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Chicacole (modern Srikakulam) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1773 to 1800. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.

How rare is Chicacole HG 1?

Chicacole HG 1 has 1 example recorded in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.

What does a Chicacole pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?

A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Chicacole is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG 1. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.

How do I identify or submit a Chicacole HG 1 cover?

Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1773–1800). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.

Chicacole HG 1 — pre-1854 Indian handstamp, 1773–1800, Black

Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp

Chicacole HG 1

Handstamp

Colour & date: Black1773–1800
Rarity: 1 example recorded
Note: updated from Giles - it was mentioned as 1775
Catalogue: 1993 Supplement · p. 11
Figure: 1
Submitted by: D. Hammond Giles

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Census

Census records

1 cover recorded

1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Chicacole HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-46

9 May 1773

Chicacole, 1773, "CHICACOLE/POST FREE" Handstamp (Giles A). Clear strike of two-line boxed handstamp with manuscript "9th May 1773" date above on piece of a cover front with some content on back about a child's baptism, intact part of address indicates official nature of letter, this is the only recorded example of the "CHICACOLE/POST FREE" handstamp--little can be found about this marking, which was unrecorded in the original Giles book but is listed in the Giles Supplement (p. 11), giving the date sometime between 1775 and 1800, indicating he was aware of this marking, but unsure of usage period--this marking predates the Calcutta postal markings of 1775 by two years.

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About this mark

The Chicacole HG 1 handstamp

Chicacole, in the Ganjam District, Madras Presidency, is situated 18°17' N and 83°55' E, on the left bank of the Langula River, 4 miles from its mouth, and on the trunk road 567 from Madras and 422 miles from Calcutta. An important military station of the E.I.C. until the 1860s, and, at one time, famous for its muslins.

Chicacole HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Chicacole — the present-day Srikakulam — in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1773 to 1800. Known strikes are in black. It is listed in 1993 Supplement, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG 1".

A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "1 example recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for chicacole pre stamp covers, chicacole postal history or "Chicacole HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Chicacole marks.

updated from Giles - it was mentioned as 1775

Frequently asked

What is the Chicacole HG 1 handstamp?: Chicacole HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Chicacole (modern Srikakulam) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1773 to 1800. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.
How rare is Chicacole HG 1?: Chicacole HG 1 has 1 example recorded in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.
What does a Chicacole pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?: A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Chicacole is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG 1. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.
How do I identify or submit a Chicacole HG 1 cover?: Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1773–1800). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.

Same office

Other recorded marks at Chicacole

4 marks

4 other pre-1854 postal markings of Chicacole are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.

View all Chicacole marks and postal history →

Suggest a correction

Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.

Also searched as: Chicacole HG 1, Chicacole HG1, Chicacole Giles 1, Srikakulam postal history, Chicacole handstamp, Chicacole pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Chicacole HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/chicacole/hg-1 (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026