Post office · North Western Provinces
AlmoraPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Almora postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 5 Almora handstamps recorded between 1823 and 1854, North Western Provinces, with 5 Almora covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 5
- Recorded
- 1823–1854
- Rare
- 2
Almora Town, the headquarters of the North-eastern District in the Kumaun, in the Himalayas, is situated 29°36' N and 79°40' E. Almora was captured from the G urkh as by Col. Nicholls on 26th April, 1815, and the whole of the Kumaun was ceded to the British, and became part of the United Provinces.
Almora has 5 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1823–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Almora handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Almora— postal history & markings
Almora's five handstamps, from 1823 to 1854, come from a Himalayan headquarters in the Kumaun, captured from the Gurkhas. The office bookends its record with scarcity: the small HG 1 of 1823 — some 34 by 16mm — is very scarce, as is the late HG 5, while the marks between are in common red and black use. Set high in the mountains of the North-eastern District, Almora's post is the modest output of a hill administration, but its very scarce opener and closer give the collector two genuine targets within an otherwise steady run — the record of a remote Himalayan office.
Frequently asked — Almora postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Almora?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Almora are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Almora post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Almora was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 5 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1823 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Almora?
- 5 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Almora 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.
- How do I identify an Almora 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 Almora 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 Almora were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Almora, Almora HG 1, Almora handstruck stamps, Almora pre stamp covers, Almora postal history.
How to cite
“Almora, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/almora (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Almora?
If you hold a cover or strike from Almora 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.