Post office · Madras Presidency
CumbumPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Cumbum postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 2 Cumbum handstamps recorded between 1816 and 1840, Madras Presidency, with 3 Cumbum covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 2
- Recorded
- 1816–1840
- Rare
- 1
Cumbum, a town in the Kurnool District, Madras Presidency, situated 15°35' N and 79°6' E. Formerly the headquarters of a Head Assistant Collector, and a regiment was stationed here, but unhealthiness, due to bad drinking-water, Government offices and military removed from it.
Cumbum has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1816–1840 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Cumbum handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Cumbum— postal history & markings
Cumbum's two handstamps open with HG 1 of 1816, known from five examples — a scarce early strike — followed by the common red HG 2 of 1840. Once the headquarters of a small division in the Kurnool country of the Madras Presidency, the office leaves a compact record whose early mark carries the interest. For the collector, that five-example opener of 1816 is the entry to seek in an otherwise small southern office.
Frequently asked — Cumbum postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Cumbum?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Cumbum are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Cumbum post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Cumbum was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1816 and 1840.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Cumbum?
- 2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Cumbum in this census, of which 1 is 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.
- How do I identify a Cumbum 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 Cumbum 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 Cumbum were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Cumbum, Kambam, Cumbum HG 1, Cumbum handstruck stamps, Cumbum pre stamp covers, Cumbum postal history.
How to cite
“Cumbum, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/cumbum (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Cumbum?
If you hold a cover or strike from Cumbum 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.