Punjab · Pre-1854 Handstamp
Nowshaira HG 1
- Colour & date
- Red1855
- Rarity
- 1 example recorded
- Figure
- 1
- Submitted by
- Gowtham BJ
Census
Census records
1 cover recorded1 pre-1854 cover bearing the Nowshaira HG 1 handstamp is recorded below — each entry links to images, provenance and auction details.
About this mark
The Nowshaira HG 1 handstamp
Nowshera (historically Nowshaira) is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Kabul river between Peshawar and Attock, developed by the British as a major frontier cantonment guarding the road to the Khyber. It was a garrison and route town of the north-west. Its early postal markings belong to the first British mail across the trans-Indus frontier after the annexation of the Punjab.
Nowshaira HG 1 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of the post office at Nowshaira — the present-day Nowshera — in the Punjab, British India, recorded in use around 1855. 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 "1 example recorded" — the grade moves automatically as new covers are recorded. Collectors searching for nowshaira pre stamp covers, nowshaira postal history or "Nowshaira HG1" material can compare HG 1 across every office or browse the rest of the Nowshaira marks.
Frequently asked
- What is the Nowshaira HG 1 handstamp?
- Nowshaira HG 1 is a early Indian handstruck postal marking of Nowshaira (modern Nowshera) in the Punjab, British India, recorded in use around 1855. 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 Nowshaira HG 1?
- Nowshaira HG 1 has 1 example 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 Nowshaira pre stamp cover with HG 1 look like?
- A pre stamp (pre philatelic) cover from Nowshaira 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 Nowshaira 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 (1855). 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: Nowshaira HG 1, Nowshaira HG1, Nowshaira Giles 1, Nowshera postal history, Nowshaira handstamp, Nowshaira pre stamp cover.
How to cite
“Nowshaira HG 1 — handstamp,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/punjab/nowshaira/hg-1 (accessed 1 October 2026).
Updated: 1 Oct 2026