Madras Presidency · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Tuticorin HG 3
- Colour & date
- Black1818
- Rarity
- Scarce
- Note
- Used together with 4
- Catalogue
- 2000 Supplement · p. 15
- Figure
- 3
- Submitted by
- D. Hammond Giles
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Tuticorin HG 3 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Tuticorin HG 3 handstamp
Thoothukudi is a port industrial city in Tamil Nadu, lying on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Tuticorin HG 3 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Tuticorin — the present-day Thoothukudi — in the Madras Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1818. Known strikes are in black. It is listed in 2000 Supplement, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG 3".
A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "Scarce" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for tuticorin pre stamp covers, tuticorin postal history or "Tuticorin HG3" material can compare HG 3 across every office or browse the rest of the Tuticorin marks.
Used together with 4
Frequently asked
- What is the Tuticorin HG 3 handstamp?
- Tuticorin HG 3 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Tuticorin (modern Thoothukudi) in the Madras Presidency, British India, recorded in use around 1818. The "HG 3" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.
- How rare is Tuticorin HG 3?
- Tuticorin HG 3 is graded "Scarce" in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.
- What does a Tuticorin pre stamp cover with HG 3 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Tuticorin 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 3. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, 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 Tuticorin HG 3 cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1818). 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 Tuticorin
4 marks4 other pre-1854 postal markings of Tuticorin are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
Suggest a correction
Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.
Also searched as: Tuticorin HG 3, Tuticorin HG3, Tuticorin Giles 3, Thoothukudi postal history, Tuticorin handstamp, Tuticorin pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Tuticorin HG 3 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/tuticorin/hg-3 (accessed 10 August 2026).
Updated: 10 Aug 2026