Post office · Madras Presidency
HyderabadPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Hyderabad postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 12 Hyderabad handstamps recorded between 1810 and 1858, Madras Presidency, with 48 Hyderabad covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 12
- Recorded
- 1810–1858
- Rare
- 5
Hyderabad, Capital of Hyderabad State, or the Nizam's Dominions, is situated 17°22' N and 78°27' E, on the right bank of the Musi River. The house of the Nizams was founded by Asaf Jah, a distinguished general of Aurungzeb, in 1713, when he became the viceroy of the Deccan. A treaty was signed in 1768 between the Nizam and the East India Company for both an offensive and defensive alliance.
Hyderabad has 12 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1810–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Hyderabad handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1810–1819 | Rare |
| HG 1A | Handstamp | Black | 1815 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1817–1819 | Rare |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | BlackBlue | 1820–1837 | Scarce |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1832–1837 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1836–1837 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1834–1837 | Rare |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Red | 1839–1858 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1847–1853 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1853–1856 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1842–1856 | Common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Red | 1850–1856 | Rare |
Hyderabad— postal history & markings
Hyderabad, capital of the Nizam's Dominions, leaves eleven handstamps from 1810 to 1858, worked in black and red. Its early marks are rare — HG 1 and HG 2 both so — and one carries an unusual feature: HG 6 is recorded with a pink impression, a colour rarely met in the handstruck record. The late HG 11 renders 'PAID' in uppercase.
The office served the seat of a princely state founded by Asaf Jah in 1713, bound to the East India Company by treaty from 1768, and its marks sit at the meeting point of Company and princely administration. With its scarce early strikes and the curiosity of that pink HG 6, Hyderabad offers the Deccan collector a small but distinctive field.
Frequently asked — Hyderabad postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Hyderabad?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Hyderabad are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Hyderabad post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Hyderabad was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 12 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1810 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Hyderabad?
- 12 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Hyderabad in this census, of which 5 are 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 Hyderabad 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 Hyderabad 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 Hyderabad were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Hyderabad, Hyderabad Deccan, Hyderabad State, Hyderabad City, Hyderabad HG 1, Hyderabad handstruck stamps, Hyderabad pre stamp covers, Hyderabad postal history.
How to cite
“Hyderabad, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/hyderabad (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Hyderabad?
If you hold a cover or strike from Hyderabad 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.