Skip to content
Hand Struck Stamps

Post office · Madras Presidency

Sirce

Handstamps
2
Recorded
1841–1860
Rare
1

Sirce (Sirs i) is in North Kanara District, Bombay Presidency, situated 14°37' N and 74°50' E, 320 miles south-east of Bombay, 2500 feet above sea level. Col. Wellesley in 1800 sent a battalion to Sirce to drive out banditti.

Sirce has 2 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1841–1860 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.

Brown border = community submission, verified by editors

Sirce handstamp summary

All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.

MarkTypeColourDatesRarity
HG 1HandstampRed1841–1844Very scarce
HG 2HandstampBlack1858–1860Scarce

Frequently asked — Sirce postal history

What are the pre stamp covers of Sirce?
Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Sirce are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Sirce post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Sirce was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 2 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1841 and 1860.
How many handstamps are recorded for Sirce?
2 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Sirce 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.
What is Sirce called today?
Sirce is the colonial-era name of present-day Sirsi, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
How do I identify a Sirce 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 Sirce 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.

Also searched as: Sirce, Sirsi, Sirce HG 1, Sirce handstruck stamps, Sirce pre stamp covers, Sirce postal history.

How to cite

Sirce, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/sirce (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026

An unrecorded mark from Sirce?

If you hold a cover or strike from Sirce 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.

Submit a cover

Have a cover from Sirce?

Front (and back) image required. It is reviewed before publication — nothing appears immediately.

Type
Images * — front & back (0/3)
Auction house (optional)

Type to search registered auction houses

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.