Post office · North Western Provinces
AgraPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Agra postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 23 Agra handstamps recorded between 1823 and 1855, North Western Provinces, with 59 Agra covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 23
- Recorded
- 1823–1855
- Rare
- 7
Administrative headquarters of Agra District, United Provinces, situated in 27°10' N and 78°5' E, on the right bank of the River Jumna, 843 miles from Calcutta and 839 miles from Bombay. Former residence of the Lodi Kings, and then the Mogul Emperors. Captured from the Marathas in 1803 by Lord Lake, and became the seat of Government when the Presidency of Agra was founded in 1835. Previous to 1835, an ex-territorial Post Office was established in Agra — 1823, or, possibly, earlier. Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about 230 km south-east of Delhi. It is best known as the home of the Taj Mahal, and was the capital of the Mughal Empire under several emperors.
Agra has 23 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1823–1855 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
Agra handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1823–1837 | Common |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Red | 1828 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1835 | Scarce |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1833–1837 | Common |
| HG 4A | Handstamp | Red | 1837 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1837–1850 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1849 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Orange | 1843 | 2 examples recorded |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Red | 1844–1850 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Black | 1844 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1844 | Common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Red | 1845–1851 | Common |
| HG 12 | Handstamp | Black | 1842–1850 | Common |
| HG 13 | Handstamp | Red | 1848 | Common |
| HG 14 | Handstamp | Black | 1851 | Very scarce |
| HG 14a | Handstamp | Red | 1854 | Rare |
| HG 15 | Handstamp | RedBlack | 1852–1854 | Common |
| HG 16 | Handstamp | Black | 1853 | Common |
| HG 17 | Handstamp | Red | 1851–1853 | Common |
| HG 18 | Handstamp | Black | 1853 | Common |
| HG 19 | Handstamp | Red | 1850 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 20 | Handstamp | Red | 1855 | Scarce |
| MN 1 | Manuscript | — | 1842 | Rare |
Agra— postal history & markings
Agra's postal record begins in 1823 with HG 1, an 'ex-territorial' marking struck in a double frame — the mark of a post office operating before the Presidency of Agra was founded in 1835. From there the office built a run of twenty-two handstamps to 1855, working predominantly in red ink, with black on nine marks and a single strike in orange.
Much of the specialist interest is in the lettering. Several later dies — HG 10 through HG 13 — are distinguished by a 'close setting' of the name AGRA, while HG 1 and HG 4 differ as double and single frames. HG 2 of 1828 is elusive: recorded by R. Lowe but otherwise unseen. For a city that became the seat of a presidency in its own right, the marks trace the office's growth from an ex-territorial outpost on the Jumna into an established head office.
Frequently asked — Agra postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Agra?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Agra are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Agra post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Agra was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 23 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1823 and 1855.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Agra?
- 23 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Agra in this census, of which 7 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.
- How do I identify an Agra 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 Agra 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 Agra were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Agra, Akbarabad, Agra City, Agra HG 1, Agra handstruck stamps, Agra pre stamp covers, Agra postal history.
How to cite
“Agra, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/agra (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Agra?
If you hold a cover or strike from Agra 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 North Western Provinces
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other North Western Provinces post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.