Post office · Madras Presidency
NellorePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Nellore postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Nellore handstamps recorded between 1805 and 1855, Madras Presidency, with 2 Nellore covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1805–1855
- Rare
- 1
Nellore, headquarters of the District, Madras Presidency, is situated 14°27'N and 79°59' E, on the right bank of the Penner River, on the great northern road from Madras to Calcutta, 109 miles north of Madras City. First attained historical importance in the 18th Century, when the English and French were contesting the supremacy of Southern India. After the defeat of Tipu, Nellore came permanently under British control in 1801.
Nellore has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1805–1855 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Nellore handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Nellore— postal history & markings
Nellore's four handstamps, from 1805 to 1855, are worked evenly in black and red. HG 1A of 1805 is known from a single example — a scarce early opener — after which the office settled into common use, with the late HG 3 scarce. Headquarters of its district on the Penner River, on the great northern road out of Madras, the town's post served a busy Coromandel centre. The record is small, but that single-example strike of 1805 anchors the office among the earlier Madras posts and is the mark a collector of the region will seek.
Frequently asked — Nellore postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Nellore?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Nellore are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Nellore post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Nellore was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1805 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Nellore?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Nellore in this census, of which 1 is 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.
- How do I identify a Nellore 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 Nellore 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 Nellore were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Nellore, Nelluru, Nellore HG 1, Nellore handstruck stamps, Nellore pre stamp covers, Nellore postal history.
How to cite
“Nellore, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/nellore (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Nellore?
If you hold a cover or strike from Nellore 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.