Post office · Punjab
GujranwalaPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Gujranwala postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 4 Gujranwala handstamps recorded between 1843 and 1854, Punjab, with 14 Gujranwala covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 4
- Recorded
- 1843–1854
Gujranwala is the fifth-largest city of Pakistan, in the province of Punjab, and the headquarters of its district and division.
Gujranwala has 4 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1843–1854 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Gujranwala handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Gujranwala— postal history & markings
Gujranwala's four handstamps, from 1843 to 1854, are notable for their expressive form. HG 1 is a boxed marking reading 'GUJRANWALA / Bearing 2 chos', naming both office and rate, while HG 2 is an oval 'Service' datestamp of 1852. Worked mainly in black, the marks are common but for the scarce HG 4. A Punjab district town, its post opens in the years around British annexation, and its named, dated boxes and 'Service' oval give the collector far more to read than a plain run of town strikes — the working detail of a north-western office in the first years of British rule.
Frequently asked — Gujranwala postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Gujranwala?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Gujranwala are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Gujranwala post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Gujranwala was a post office of the Punjab, British India, and this census records 4 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1843 and 1854.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Gujranwala?
- 4 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Gujranwala 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 Gujranwala 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 Gujranwala 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 Gujranwala were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Gujranwala, Gujranwala HG 1, Gujranwala handstruck stamps, Gujranwala pre stamp covers, Gujranwala postal history.
How to cite
“Gujranwala, Punjab — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/punjab/gujranwala (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Gujranwala?
If you hold a cover or strike from Gujranwala 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 Punjab
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Punjab post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.