Ganjam HG 2

Ganjam is situated 19°23' N and 85°5' E at the mouth of the Rushikulya River on the east coast of Madras Presidency, and was formerly a port of importance. It was built in 1768, with a fort as a defence against the Marathas at Cuttack. It is recorded in the Public Proceedings of July, 1766, concerning mail from Calcutta to Madras, as being the hand over point, and in the Consultations of January 1774, the Warren Hastings' Postal reforms, the "First Division of the General Post Office, Calcutta", was from Calcutta to Ganjam, 358.miles, the single postage being 5 annas, and from Ganjam to Madras 7 fanams. Although Ganjam is first mentioned in connection with the Calcutta G.P.O., it is in the Madras Presidency, and from 1788, under the Madras G.P.O. arrangements it came under that authority.

Ganjam HG 2 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Ganjam in the Madras Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1816. Known strikes are in black. It is listed in 1989 Catalogue, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG 2".

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 ganjam pre stamp covers, ganjam postal history or "Ganjam HG2" material can compare HG 2 across every office or browse the rest of the Ganjam marks.

Rare – 1 example recorded