Post office · North Western Provinces
GwaliorPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Gwalior postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 10 Gwalior handstamps recorded between 1823 and 1852, North Western Provinces, with 37 Gwalior covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 10
- Recorded
- 1823–1852
- Rare
- 3
Gwalior State was the largest treaty State in the Central India Agency, under the political supervision of a Resident at Gwalior, the original capital of the State, though later replaced by Lashkar. Gwalior fort is one of the most famous in India. The house of Sindhia founded by Ranoji Sindhia, and during the latter part of the 18th century, with the assistance of Benoit De Boigne and his genius for organisation and command in the field, the Maratha supremacy was established. In 1843 a British force under Sir Hugh Gough moved on Gwalior, and during the battles of Panniar and Maharajpur, the Gwalior army was annihilated. A Council of Regency was then appointed during the minority of an adopted son of the former ruler's widow, to act under the Resident's advice.
Gwalior has 10 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1823–1852 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Gwalior handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1823–1837 | Scarce |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1829–1843 | Very scarce |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1833–1844 | Very scarce |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1829–1848 | Scarce |
| HG 4b | Handstamp | Black | 1834–1836 | Rare |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Red | 1837–1846 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Red | 1845–1852 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Red | 1843–1849 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1848 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1851 | Common |
Gwalior— postal history & markings
Gwalior's ten handstamps, from 1823 to 1852, belong to the largest treaty state of the Central India Agency, the domain of the house of Sindhia under a British Resident. The office worked in black and red, and two of its dies — HG 2 and HG 3 — are intaglio marks, cut in reverse, giving the small series an unusual character. HG 2 is very scarce.
The notes carry a nice puzzle: HG 1 is recorded once in red, and HG 4 likewise once, prompting the question whether an old stamp was used in error. For a princely state served through the Company post, Gwalior's compact record — anchored by its scarce intaglio strikes and these colour anomalies — is a distinctive small field within the Central India material.
Frequently asked — Gwalior postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Gwalior?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Gwalior are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Gwalior post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Gwalior was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 10 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1823 and 1852.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Gwalior?
- 10 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Gwalior 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.
- How do I identify a Gwalior 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 Gwalior 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 Gwalior were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Gwalior, Gwalior HG 1, Gwalior handstruck stamps, Gwalior pre stamp covers, Gwalior postal history.
How to cite
“Gwalior, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/gwalior (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Gwalior?
If you hold a cover or strike from Gwalior 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.