What is the Muttra HG Add handstamp?

Muttra HG Add is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Muttra (modern Mathura) in the North Western Provinces, British India, in recorded use from 1805 to 1813. The "HG Add" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.

How rare is Muttra HG Add?

Muttra HG Add has 2 examples recorded in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.

What does a Muttra pre stamp cover with HG Add look like?

A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Muttra is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG Add. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.

How do I identify or submit a Muttra HG Add cover?

Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1805–1813). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.

Muttra HG Add — pre-1854 Indian handstamp, 1805–1813, Black

North Western Provinces · Pre-1854 Handstamp

Muttra HG Add

Intaglio

Colour & date: Black1805–1813
Rarity: 2 examples recorded
Note: Intaglio white on black – Rare, one example recorded
Catalogue: 1996 Supplement · p. 6
Figure: Add
Submitted by: D. Hammond Giles

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Census

Census records

1 cover recorded

1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Muttra HG Add handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.

COV-60

1813

Muttra, 1813, "MUTTRA/Postpaid" Negative Handstamp (Unrecorded in Giles). Clear strike on flap of folded letter datelined Muttra Aug. 5, 1813, to Covent Garden, London, then forwarded to Snaith, sender's directive "per Ship Morrington" , Calcutta Aug. 22 transit and Mar. 2 (1814) arrival datestamp, Extremely Fine strike which is unrecorded in Giles, the earliest is recorded from 1825 despite the British taking it in 1803, we are unaware of any others

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About this mark

The Muttra HG Add handstamp

Muttra is situated 27°30' N and 77°41' E, on the right bank of the Jumna River, in Muttra District, United Provinces, on the road from Agra to Delhi, 886 miles from Calcutta and 914 from Bombay. Through the ages, the town has been plundered, and fell into the hands of the British in 1803, when it was occupied as a cantonment.

Muttra HG Add is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Muttra — the present-day Mathura — in the North Western Provinces, British India, in recorded use from 1805 to 1813. Known strikes are in black. It is listed in 1996 Supplement, where each marking of British India is assigned a figure number — hence "HG Add".

A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. On the strength of that count the mark is graded "2 examples recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for muttra pre stamp covers, muttra postal history or "Muttra HGAdd" material can compare HG Add across every office or browse the rest of the Muttra marks.

Intaglio white on black – Rare, one example recorded

Frequently asked

What is the Muttra HG Add handstamp?: Muttra HG Add is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Muttra (modern Mathura) in the North Western Provinces, British India, in recorded use from 1805 to 1813. The "HG Add" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in black.
How rare is Muttra HG Add?: Muttra HG Add has 2 examples recorded in this census. Rarity here is evidence-based: it is derived from the number of surviving covers actually recorded, not estimated. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance.
What does a Muttra pre stamp cover with HG Add look like?: A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Muttra is a folded letter or envelope carried before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, with postage shown entirely by hand-struck marks like HG Add. A single surviving cover bearing this mark is recorded in the census, with images and provenance. Each census record on this page links to full cover images, dates and auction provenance.
How do I identify or submit a Muttra HG Add cover?: Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1805–1813). If your cover is not already recorded, you can submit front and back photographs through the census form on this page; every submission is editor-reviewed before publication.

Same office

Other recorded marks at Muttra

10 marks

10 other pre-1854 postal markings of Muttra are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.

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Suggest a correction

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Also searched as: Muttra HG Add, Muttra HGAdd, Muttra Giles Add, Mathura postal history, Muttra handstamp, Muttra pre stamp cover.

How to cite

“Muttra HG Add — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/n-w-provinces/muttra/hg-add (accessed 10 August 2026).

Updated: 10 Aug 2026