Post office · Madras Presidency
CocanadaPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Cocanada postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 2 Cocanada handstamps recorded between 1848 and 1856, Madras Presidency, with 5 Cocanada covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 2
- Recorded
- 1848–1856
Kakinada is a port city and municipal corporation in Andhra Pradesh, situated along the Bay of Bengal, serving as the headquarters of Kakinada district.
Cocanada has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1848–1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Cocanada handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Cocanada— postal history & markings
Cocanada's two handstamps are distinguished by ink: HG 1 of 1851 is struck in orange, an uncommon colour, alongside the black HG 2 of 1848. Both are common. A port on the Bay of Bengal in the Godavari country, the town's post served a busy coastal centre. The record is small, but that orange strike gives even a two-mark office a point of real distinction for the collector of the northern Circars.
Frequently asked — Cocanada postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Cocanada?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Cocanada are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Cocanada post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Cocanada was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1848 and 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Cocanada?
- 2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Cocanada in this census. 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 Cocanada called today?
- Cocanada is the colonial-era name of present-day Kakinada, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Cocanada 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 Cocanada 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 Cocanada were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Cocanada, Kakinada, Cocanada HG 1, Cocanada handstruck stamps, Cocanada pre stamp covers, Cocanada postal history.
How to cite
“Cocanada, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/cocanada (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Cocanada?
If you hold a cover or strike from Cocanada 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 Madras Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Madras Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.