What is the Madras MX16 handstamp?

Madras MX16 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Madras (modern Chennai) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1851 to 1854. The "MX16" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.

How rare is Madras MX16?

Madras MX16 has 1 example recorded 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 Madras pre stamp cover with MX16 look like?

A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Madras is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like MX16. 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 Madras MX16 cover?

Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1851–1854). 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.

Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp

Madras MX16

Handstamp

Colour & date: Black1851–1854
Rarity: 1 example recorded
Note: Bangy Bearing (refer to notes c. 55x55mm)
Figure: MX16
Submitted by: Gowtham BJ

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Census

Census records

1 cover recorded

1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Madras MX16 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-3415

22 September 1851

Rare and only one recorded copy of Madras Bangy handstamp and other Madras bearing and Madras postpaid andstamp on a receipt. No other handstamps of Madras Bangy bearing tola handstamps have been recorded which is in uniform design compared with Calcutta Bangy and Poona Bangy in

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About this mark

The Madras MX16 handstamp

Chennai, also known as Madras, is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in south-eastern India.

Madras MX16 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Madras — the present-day Chennai — in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1851 to 1854. Known strikes are in black. Its "MX16" 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 "1 example recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for madras pre stamp covers, madras postal history or "Madras MX16" material can compare MX16 across every office or browse the rest of the Madras marks.

Bangy Bearing (refer to notes c. 55x55mm)

Frequently asked

What is the Madras MX16 handstamp?: Madras MX16 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Madras (modern Chennai) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1851 to 1854. The "MX16" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.
How rare is Madras MX16?: Madras MX16 has 1 example recorded 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 Madras pre stamp cover with MX16 look like?: A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Madras is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like MX16. 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 Madras MX16 cover?: Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1851–1854). 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.

Same office

Other recorded marks at Madras

81 marks

81 other pre-1854 postal markings of Madras are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.

View all Madras marks and postal history →

Suggest a correction

Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.

Also searched as: Madras MX16, Madras Giles MX16, Chennai postal history, Madras handstamp, Madras pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Madras MX16 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/madras/mx16 (accessed 20 August 2026).

Updated: 20 Aug 2026