Post office · Madras Presidency
QuilonPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Quilon postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 7 Quilon handstamps recorded between 1819 and 1859, Madras Presidency, with 10 Quilon covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 7
- Recorded
- 1819–1859
- Rare
- 2
Quilon is a town and sea port in Travancore State, Madras Presidency, situated 8°53' N and 76°36' E. The Portuguese had a factory here, which was captured by the Dutch in 1662, and from them, it passed to the East India Company.
Quilon has 7 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1819–1859 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Manuscript markings
1 markBefore handstamps were introduced, postmasters wrote postal details by hand — these manuscript markings pre-date the struck marks above.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Quilon handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Quilon— postal history & markings
Quilon's record opens with the pen: MN 1 of 1819, a rare manuscript endorsement, precedes the office's handstamps. Across seven marks to 1859, worked mainly in red, HG 1 is very scarce and HG 1a and HG 2 scarce, so the early strikes carry most of the interest. A seaport in Travancore State, Quilon had passed through Portuguese and Dutch hands before reaching the East India Company, and its post belonged to that princely coast. Between the manuscript opener and the scarce early handstamps, the office leaves a small but layered record of the Malabar shore.
Frequently asked — Quilon postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Quilon?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Quilon are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Quilon post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Quilon was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 7 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1819 and 1859.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Quilon?
- 7 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Quilon in this census, of which 2 are 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.
- What is Quilon called today?
- Quilon is the colonial-era name of present-day Kollam, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Quilon 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 Quilon 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 Quilon were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Quilon, Kollam, Quilon HG 1, Quilon handstruck stamps, Quilon pre stamp covers, Quilon postal history.
How to cite
“Quilon, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/quilon (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Quilon?
If you hold a cover or strike from Quilon 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.