Post office · North Western Provinces
KampteePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Kamptee postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 12 Kamptee handstamps recorded between 1825 and 1854, North Western Provinces, with 22 Kamptee covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 12
- Recorded
- 1825–1854
Kamptee was a town with cantonment in Nagpur District, Central Provinces, 10 miles from Nagpur and 529 from Bombay, situated 21°13' N and 79°12' E. The cantonment was established in 1821, and was the headquarters of the Subsidiary force maintained by the British under treaty with the Nagpur Raja.
Kamptee has 12 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1825–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Kamptee 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 | 1831–1836 | Scarce |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | BlackRed | 1825–1837 | Common |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Red | 1837–1849 | Common |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Black | 1843–1846 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Red | 1836–1853 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Red | 1849–1854 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1849–1854 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Red | 1853 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1852 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Red | 1848–1854 | Common |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Red | 1849 | Common |
| HG 12 | Handstamp | Blue | 1852 | Common |
Kamptee— postal history & markings
Kamptee's twelve handstamps, struck between 1825 and 1854, belong to a cantonment established in 1821 as the headquarters of the subsidiary force maintained under treaty with the Raja of Nagpur. The office worked mostly in red, with black on several marks and a single strike in blue. HG 2, common and in use from 1825, opens the record, while the small HG 1 — some 35 by 17mm — is scarcer.
There are no great rarities here, but the colour range, including that lone blue mark, and the neat span of a single military station's output give Kamptee a tidy, self-contained record. For the collector working the Central Provinces, it is a compact but complete example of a subsidiary-force cantonment's post.
Frequently asked — Kamptee postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Kamptee?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Kamptee are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Kamptee post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Kamptee was a post office of the North Western Provinces, British India, and this census records 12 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1825 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Kamptee?
- 12 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Kamptee 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 Kamptee 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 Kamptee 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 Kamptee were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Kamptee, Kamthi, Kamptee HG 1, Kamptee handstruck stamps, Kamptee pre stamp covers, Kamptee postal history.
How to cite
“Kamptee, North Western Provinces — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/kamptee (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Kamptee?
If you hold a cover or strike from Kamptee 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.