Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Honore HG 1
- Colour & date
- Red1854–1856
- Rarity
- Very scarce
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- Cavendish Philatelic Auctions Ltd
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Honore HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Honore HG 1 handstamp
Honnavar, long written Honore or Onore, is a coastal town in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, at the mouth of the Sharavati river on the Arabian Sea. A historic pepper and trade port of the Kanara coast, it was an early European contact point administered under the Bombay Presidency. Its pre-1854 postal markings document the sea-and-land mail of the western Karnataka shore.
Honore HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Honore — the present-day Honnavar — in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1854 to 1856. Known strikes are in red. Its "HG 1" designation is the figure number assigned in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.
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 "Very scarce" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for honore pre stamp covers, honore postal history or "Honore HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Honore marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Honore HG 1 handstamp?
- Honore HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Honore (modern Honnavar) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1854 to 1856. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in red.
- How rare is Honore HG 1?
- Honore HG 1 is graded "Very scarce" 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 Honore pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Honore 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 Honore 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 (1854–1856). 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.
Suggest a correction
Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.
Also searched as: Honore HG 1, Honore HG1, Honore Giles 1, Honnavar postal history, Honore handstamp, Honore pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Honore HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/honore/hg-1 (accessed 27 August 2026).
Updated: 27 Aug 2026