Post office · Madras Presidency
KaricalPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Karical postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Karical handstamps recorded between 1804 and 1856, Madras Presidency, with 23 Karical covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1804–1856
- Rare
- 3
Karical was a French settlement on the Coromandal coast in Tanjore District, Madras, situated 10°55' N and 79°50' E.
Karical has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1804–1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Karical handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Karical— postal history & markings
Karical was a French settlement on the Coromandel coast within the Tanjore District, and its four marks reflect that distinct status. HG Add. 1 of 1804 — a 'KARICAL / POST PAID' handstamp — is known from a single example, HG 1 is very scarce and HG 2 rare. As a French enclave, the office sits apart from the Company posts around it, and nearly every one of its marks is scarce or rarer. For the collector, the single-example 1804 POST PAID and the rare later strikes make Karical, for all its four marks, a genuinely elusive southern office.
Frequently asked — Karical postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Karical?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Karical are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Karical post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Karical was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1804 and 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Karical?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Karical in this census, of which 3 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.
- What is Karical called today?
- Karical is the colonial-era name of present-day Karaikal, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Karical 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 Karical 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 Karical were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Karical, Karaikal, Karical HG 1, Karical handstruck stamps, Karical pre stamp covers, Karical postal history.
How to cite
“Karical, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/karical (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Karical?
If you hold a cover or strike from Karical 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.