Post office · North Western Provinces
HansiPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Hansi postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 3 Hansi handstamps recorded between 1840 and 1853, North Western Provinces, with 8 Hansi covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 3
- Recorded
- 1840–1853
Hansi, in the Hissar District, Punjab, is situated 29°rN, and 75°58' E, 15 miles from Hissar. It was depopulated by the famine in 1783, and lay deserted until 1798, when the famous adventurer, George Thomas made his headquarters there. On the establishment of British rule in 1803, it was made a cantonment. All Europeans there were murdered in the 1857 upnsmg.
Hansi has 3 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1840–1853 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Hansi handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Hansi— postal history & markings
Hansi's three handstamps, from 1840 to 1853, are worked in black and red, common but for the scarce HG 3. A town in the Hissar District of the Punjab, depopulated by the great famine of 1783 before its later revival, the office served a district station on the plains. The record is small and mostly ordinary, but the scarce HG 3 gives the collector a target within the run. For the specialist in the north-west, Hansi is a compact office whose one scarce strike distinguishes an otherwise common record.
Frequently asked — Hansi postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Hansi?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Hansi are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Hansi post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Hansi was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 3 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1840 and 1853.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Hansi?
- 3 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Hansi in this census. 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 Hansi 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 Hansi 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 Hansi were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Hansi, Hansi HG 1, Hansi handstruck stamps, Hansi pre stamp covers, Hansi postal history.
How to cite
“Hansi, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/hansi (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Hansi?
If you hold a cover or strike from Hansi 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.