Punjab · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Kotegurh HG 1
- Colour & date
- Red1852
- Rarity
- Scarce
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- siegelauctions
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Kotegurh HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Kotegurh HG 1 handstamp
Kotgarh (the Kotegurh of early records) is a hill town in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh, overlooking the Sutlej valley and long celebrated for the apple orchards later introduced there. It lay on the old Hindustan–Tibet road above the river. Its pre stamp postal markings document the early mail of the interior Simla hills.
Kotegurh HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of the post office at Kotegurh — the present-day Kotgarh — in the Punjab, British India, recorded in use around 1852. Known strikes are in red. Its "HG 1" designation is the figure number assigned in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India.
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 "Scarce" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for kotegurh pre stamp covers, kotegurh postal history or "Kotegurh HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Kotegurh marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Kotegurh HG 1 handstamp?
- Kotegurh HG 1 is a pre-1854 handstruck postal marking of Kotegurh (modern Kotgarh) in the Punjab, British India, recorded in use around 1852. The "HG 1" designation is its figure number in the Hammond Giles catalogue of the handstruck postage stamps of India. Known strikes are in red.
- How rare is Kotegurh HG 1?
- Kotegurh HG 1 is graded "Scarce" 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 Kotegurh pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Kotegurh 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 1. 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 Kotegurh HG 1 cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impression and recorded examples on this page — check the mark's shape, colour and date range (1852). 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.
Suggest a correction
Spotted a wrong date, colour or rarity? Propose a change — every suggestion is reviewed before it is applied.
Also searched as: Kotegurh HG 1, Kotegurh HG1, Kotegurh Giles 1, Kotgarh postal history, Kotegurh handstamp, Kotegurh pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Kotegurh HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/punjab/kotegurh/hg-1 (accessed 19 July 2026).
Updated: 19 Jul 2026