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Hand Struck Stamps
Mysore HG 4 — pre-1854 Indian handstamp, 1837–1857, RedMysore HG 4 — pre-1854 Indian handstamp, 1837–1857, Red (sketch)

Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp

Mysore HG 4

Colour & date
Red1837–1857
Rarity
Common
Catalogue
1989 Catalogue · p. 151
Figure
4
Submitted by
D. Hammond Giles

Census

Census records

12 covers recorded

12 pre-1854 covers bearing the Mysore HG 4 handstamp are recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-2926 pre stamp cover
COV-2926

20 October 1843

op Manuscript Routing Note: Via Cannanore Egypt and Falmouth Main Address Block: Dr William Smythe Pennington St. M / near Rugby Warwickshire. Postal Markings (Reverse Panel): INDIA (Red rectangular stamp) G.P.O. / 18 DE 1843 (London General Post Office red arrival circular datestamp) Various manuscript postage due/rate markings: 4, 26, 43 Letter Page 1 My dear Brother and Sister On our arrival here this morning from Cannanore en route with the 9th Regt. N.I. to Secunderabad, we received dear Jane’s melancholy letter of the 28th Augt. And it is I feel unnecessary to assure you that we deeply deplore the loss you have sustained and sincerely sympathize with you in your distress. I regret this is the last safe date for the present Mail and that I must of necessity be obliged in consequence to put off sending a Bill for the amount you require for dear Charles until the next Overland Mail, but you may depend on my remitting the money God willing then and to my heart aches that I cannot assist you to the extent of your losses but I shall ever be happy to do so to the extent of my means. I am now about £600 above the world – four of it my duty to reserve in the event of my demise when my poor wife would require it to take her home – the other two are at your service, Letter Page 2 and shall those be enclosed in my next. I have, after having had my hopes buoyed up to the almost very last moment, been utterly disappointed in the ability of my friends to secure my Continuance in my late Army appointment at Cannanore owing it is generally surmised to the Commander-in-Chief but from what motive we have not been able to ascertain. However I shall if spared, be as well if not better off at Secunderabad where also I shall be Senior Assistant Med. Officer. And I have been pretty fortunate in the disposal of my property at Cannanore having got my own money for my Houses and found as well as my Phaeton & pair. On our arrival at Secunderabad it is our fixed resolve to keep within the most moderate expend. so as to enable us kind as we now both are of this Country to rejoin you in old England when we hope through a kind and Merciful Providence to spend the evening of our life with you. Our March hitherto, though the most fatiguing and harassing owing to almost daily rain and the almost impassable state of the at best wretched roads, has been thank God free from sickness and our Camp is pretty free from it unless a few Letter Page 3 Chronic Cases of fevers and rheumatism. We have still about 450 miles to go to our destination but it is the most agreeable season of the year after the rains which are now nearly over. Give our affectionate love to dear Charles and give him our Cordial congratulations on his near proximity to the realization of his wishes. Susan is at present so painfully affected by your losses that she is unable to write by the present Mail but intends d

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About this mark

The Mysore HG 4 handstamp

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 HG 4 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Mysore — the present-day Mysuru — in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1837 to 1857. Known strikes are in red. It is listed in 1989 Catalogue, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG 4".

12 surviving covers bearing this mark are recorded in the census, each 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 mysore pre stamp covers, mysore postal history or "Mysore HG4" material can compare HG 4 across every office or browse the rest of the Mysore marks.

Frequently asked

What is the Mysore HG 4 handstamp?
Mysore HG 4 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Mysore (modern Mysuru) in the Madras Presidency, British India, in recorded use from 1837 to 1857. The "HG 4" 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 Mysore HG 4?
Mysore HG 4 is graded "Common" in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. 12 surviving covers bearing this mark are recorded in the census, each with images and provenance.
What does a Mysore pre stamp cover with HG 4 look like?
A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Mysore is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG 4. 12 surviving covers bearing this mark are recorded in the census, each 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 Mysore HG 4 cover?
Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1837–1857). 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 Mysore

5 marks

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

View all Mysore marks and postal history →

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Also searched as: Mysore HG 4, Mysore HG4, Mysore Giles 4, Mysuru postal history, Mysore handstamp, Mysore pre stamp cover.

How to cite

Mysore HG 4handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/mysore/hg-4 (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026