Post office · North Western Provinces
IndorePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Indore postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 7 Indore handstamps recorded between 1838 and 1857, North Western Provinces, with 11 Indore covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 7
- Recorded
- 1838–1857
- Rare
- 2
Indore, founded as a small village in 1715, became the capital of the State in 1818, after the Treaty of Mandasor. It is situated 22°45' N and 75°54' E, on the banks of two small streams, the Saraswati and Khan, 440 miles from Bombay.
Indore has 7 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1838–1857 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Indore handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Indore— postal history & markings
Indore's seven handstamps, from 1838 to 1857, belong to the capital of a princely state, established as such in 1818 under the Treaty of Mandasor. The office worked mainly in red, and its rarities lie among the earliest marks: HG 1A of 1838 is known from a single example, and HG 4A of 1843 is rare. The body of the record is common use, but those early red strikes — from the first years of the office at a Maratha state capital — are the ones that reward the specialist. For the collector of Central India, Indore is a compact princely-state record anchored by its scarce openers.
Frequently asked — Indore postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Indore?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Indore are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Indore post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Indore was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 7 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1838 and 1857.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Indore?
- 7 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Indore 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 Indore 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 Indore 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 Indore were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Indore, Indore HG 1, Indore handstruck stamps, Indore pre stamp covers, Indore postal history.
How to cite
“Indore, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/indore (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Indore?
If you hold a cover or strike from Indore 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.