Post office · Punjab
LahorePostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Lahore postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 11 Lahore handstamps recorded between 1843 and 1856, Punjab, with 31 Lahore covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 11
- Recorded
- 1843–1856
Lahore City is the Capital of the Punjab, situated 31°35' N and 74°20' E, on the Ravi river, 298 miles from Delhi. The possession of Lahore changed hands many times, and the period of Mughal rule was the golden time of its history. The rise of Ranjit Singh in the 19th century brought it under Sikh influence, but this declined after the first Sikh War, and in 1846, when a Council of Regency was established, and the British Resident became the central authority in ' Lahore. In 1849, after the conclusion of the second Sikh War, Maharajah Dalip Singh resigned the government to the East India Company.
Lahore has 11 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1843–1856 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Lahore handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Red | 1845–1853 | Common |
| HG 1a | Handstamp | Red | 1854 | Scarce |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1843–1849 | Common |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Red | 1847–1850 | Common |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Red | 1851 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Red | 1851 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Purple | 1853 | Common |
| HG 6A | Handstamp | Black | 1853 | Scarce |
| HG 6B | Handstamp | Red | 1853 | Scarce |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | RedBlack | 1850–1853 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Red | 1856 | Common |
Lahore— postal history & markings
Lahore, capital of the Punjab, leaves ten handstamps from 1843 to 1856 — a record that begins only after Sikh power on the Ravi declined and the region passed toward British control. The office worked mostly in red, with black on two marks and a single strike in purple, dated 1849. HG 6 marks the handover of the post from military to civil control, and HG 7 is distinguished by a full stop after its 'P'.
There is little deep rarity here — the marks are largely common — but the office's interest lies in its timing and setting: the first decade of organised posting in a newly annexed provincial capital, complete with the purple strike and the military-to-civil transition that so many Punjab offices record.
Frequently asked — Lahore postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Lahore?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Lahore are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Lahore post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Lahore was a post office of the Punjab, British India, and this census records 11 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1843 and 1856.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Lahore?
- 11 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Lahore 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 Lahore 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 Lahore 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 Lahore were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Lahore, Lahore City, Lahore HG 1, Lahore handstruck stamps, Lahore pre stamp covers, Lahore postal history.
How to cite
“Lahore, Punjab — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/punjab/lahore (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Lahore?
If you hold a cover or strike from Lahore 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.