Post office · Madras Presidency
Vizagapatam
- Handstamps
- 8
- Recorded
- 1788–1849
- Rare
- 3
Vizagapatam, headquarters of Vizagapatam District, Madras Presiden·cy, 484 miles from Madras and 547 from Calcutta, situated on the east 1r42' N and 83°18' E. In the seventeenth century, the East India Company established here one of its earliest factories. Historically the town can boast of little interest, the only events of any importance that have occurred being the two occupations of the factory, in 1669 by Aurangzeb's forces, and 1757 by the French under Bussy.
Vizagapatam has 8 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1788–1849 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
Vizagapatam handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Frequently asked — Vizagapatam postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Vizagapatam?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Vizagapatam are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Vizagapatam post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Vizagapatam was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 8 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1788 and 1849.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Vizagapatam?
- 8 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Vizagapatam in this census, of which 3 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 Vizagapatam called today?
- Vizagapatam is the colonial-era name of present-day Visakhapatnam, India. The office also appears in postal history literature and auction catalogues as Vizag. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Vizagapatam 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 Vizagapatam 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: Vizagapatam, Visakhapatnam, Vizag, Vizagapatam HG 1, Vizagapatam handstruck stamps, Vizagapatam pre stamp covers, Vizagapatam postal history.
How to cite
“Vizagapatam, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/vizagapatam (accessed 11 August 2026).
Updated: 11 Aug 2026
An unrecorded mark from Vizagapatam?
If you hold a cover or strike from Vizagapatam 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.