Post office · North Western Provinces
BaitoolPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Baitool postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 1 Baitool handstamp recorded in 1836, North Western Provinces, with 1 Baitool cover traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 1
- Recorded
- 1836
- Rare
- 1
Betul (the Baitool of early records) is a town on the Satpura plateau of southern Madhya Pradesh, headquarters of Betul district in the highlands between the Narmada and Tapti valleys. A forest and route town of the central uplands, it lay on the roads across the Deccan gateway. In the era of the Company's northern posts it served as a mail station, and its pre-1854 markings record the posts of the Satpura country.
Baitool has 1 pre-1854 hand-struck postal marking from 1836 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Baitool 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 | 1836 | 1 example recorded |
Baitool— postal history & markings
Baitool — Betul, on the Satpura plateau — leaves a single handstamp, HG 1 of 1836, which is known from a single example and unrecorded by Giles. A genuine census addition, absent from the standard catalogue and recovered here from surviving material, it makes even this one-mark office a real prize for the collector of central India.
Frequently asked — Baitool postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Baitool?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Baitool are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Baitool post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Baitool was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 1 distinct postal marking used there, dated around 1836.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Baitool?
- 1 hand-struck postal marking is recorded for Baitool 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 Baitool called today?
- Baitool is the colonial-era name of present-day Betul, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Baitool 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 Baitool 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 Baitool were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Baitool, Betul, Baitool HG 1, Baitool handstruck stamps, Baitool pre stamp covers, Baitool postal history.
How to cite
“Baitool, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/baitool (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Baitool?
If you hold a cover or strike from Baitool 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.