Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Madras MX5
- Date Span
- 1837-53
- Colour
- Red
- Rarity
- Common
- Note
- GPO datestamp. Examples in black seen during 1843-44
- Catalogue
- 1989 Catalogue · p. 133
- Figure
- MX5
- Submitted by
- D. Hammond Giles
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Madras MX5 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Madras MX5 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 MX5 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 1837 to 1853. Known strikes are in red. It is listed in 1989 Catalogue, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "MX5".
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 "Common" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for madras pre stamp covers, madras postal history or "Madras MX5" material can compare MX5 across every office or browse the rest of the Madras marks.
GPO datestamp. Examples in black seen during 1843-44
Frequently asked
- What is the Madras MX5 handstamp?
- Madras MX5 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Madras (modern Chennai) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1837 to 1853. The "MX5" 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 Madras MX5?
- Madras MX5 is graded "Common" 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 MX5 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 MX5. 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 MX5 cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1837-53). 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 marks81 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.
- Madras HG 1handstampBlack1786–1806
- Madras HG 2handstampBlack1788
- Madras HG 3handstampBlack1791–1816
- Madras HG 4handstampBlack1795–1826
- Madras HG 5handstampBlack1799–1800
- Madras HG 6handstampBlack1802–1822
- Madras HG 6AhandstampRed1809
- Madras HG 7handstampBlack1816–1823
- Madras HG 8handstampBlack1819
- Madras HG 9handstampBlack1812–1820
- Madras HG 10handstampBlack1820
- Madras HG 11handstampRed1819–1824
- Madras HG 12handstampBlack1820–1832
- Madras HG 13handstampBlack1821–1832
- Madras HG 14handstampBlack1822–1836
- Madras HG 15handstampBlack1807–1826
- Madras HG 16handstampRed1824–1837
- Madras HG 17handstampRed1833-37
- Madras HG 18handstampBlack1833-37
- Madras HG 19handstampRed1837–1854
- Madras HG 19ahandstampRed1841
- Madras HG 20handstampBlack1838–1856
- Madras HG 21handstampRed1837–1853
- Madras HG 22handstampRed1837–1854
- Madras HG 23handstampBlack1842–1849
- Madras HG 24handstampRed1843–1854
- Madras HG 25handstampRed1853–1855
- Madras HG 25ahandstampRed1854-56
- Madras HG 26handstampBlack1853–1854
- Madras MN 1manuscript1815–1816
- Madras MX1handstampBlack1817–1819
- Madras MX2handstampBlack1819-20
- Madras MX3handstampBlack1820-24
- Madras MX4handstampBlack1824-38
- Madras MX6handstampRed1838–1851
- Madras MX7handstampBlack1840–1854
- Madras MX8handstampBlack1838–1861
- Madras MX9handstampBlack1845-51
- Madras MX9ahandstampBlack1848-49
- Madras MX10handstampBlack1855
- Madras MX11handstampBlack1855
- Madras MX11ahandstampBlack1849
- Madras MX12handstampRed1847-52
- Madras MX13handstampBlack1848–1854
- Madras MX14handstampBlack1848–1854
- Madras MX15handstampRed1850–1851
- Madras MX16handstampBlack1851–1854
- Madras MX17handstampRed1837–1856
- Madras SD1handstampBlack1815
- Madras SD2handstampBlack1816
- Madras SD3handstampBlack1816–1819
- Madras SD4handstampBlack1816–1818
- Madras SD5handstampBlack1816–1819
- Madras SD6handstampBlack1816–1820
- Madras SD7handstampBlack1819–1820
- Madras SD8handstampBlack1820–1833
- Madras SD9handstampRed1822
- Madras SD10handstampRed1822–1836
- Madras SD11handstampRed1824–1852
- Madras SD12handstampBlack1825–1831
- Madras SD13handstampBlack1832–1837
- Madras SD14handstampBlack1837
- Madras SD15handstampRed1835–1836
- Madras SD16handstampRed1836–1854
- Madras SD17handstampBlack1836–1838
- Madras SD18handstampRed1838–1844
- Madras SD19handstampRed1838–1850
- Madras SD20handstampRed1844–1866
- Madras SD21handstampRed1845–1855
- Madras SD21ahandstampRed1845–1853
- Madras SD21bhandstampRed1849-55
- Madras SD22handstampBlack1857–1865
- Madras SR1handstampBlack1815–1819
- Madras SR2handstampBlack1818–1819
- Madras SR3handstampBlack1837–1861
- Madras SR4handstampRed1838-55
- Madras SR5handstampBlack1837–1858
- Madras SR6handstampBlack1841-57
- Madras SR7handstampBlack1845–1867
- Madras SR8handstampBlack1858-61
- Madras HG SRAddhandstampBlack1815
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 MX5, Madras Giles MX5, Chennai postal history, Madras handstamp, Madras pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Madras MX5 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/madras/mx5 (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026