Post office · Madras Presidency
MysorePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Mysore postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 6 Mysore handstamps recorded between 1815 and 1870, Madras Presidency, with 23 Mysore covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 6
- Recorded
- 1815–1870
Mysore is the dynastic capital of the Indian State and residence of the Maharaja, situated 12°18' N and 76°40' E, at the north-west base of the Chamaraj hill.
Mysore has 6 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1815–1870 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Mysore handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Mysore— postal history & markings
Mysore's six handstamps, from 1815 to 1870, belong to the dynastic capital of the Mysore State and residence of its Maharaja. HG 1 of 1815 is scarce, and the office worked evenly in black and red, its later marks in common use. A notable late entry, HG 6, is a 'Mysore Anche' marking — a reminder that the princely state operated its own Anche postal system alongside the Company post, here as at Bangalore. Between the scarce opener and that Anche strike, Mysore offers the collector a small record that sits at the meeting point of British and princely posts in the south.
Frequently asked — Mysore postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Mysore?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Mysore are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Mysore post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Mysore was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 6 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1815 and 1870.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Mysore?
- 6 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Mysore in this census. 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 Mysore called today?
- Mysore is the colonial-era name of present-day Mysuru, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Mysore City. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Mysore 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 Mysore 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 Mysore were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Mysore, Mysuru, Mysore City, Mysore HG 1, Mysore handstruck stamps, Mysore pre stamp covers, Mysore postal history.
How to cite
“Mysore, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/mysore (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Mysore?
If you hold a cover or strike from Mysore 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.