The library

Resources & Research

Long-form articles and reference guides on the handstruck stamps and pre-stamp postal history of India — written from the census and its sources. New pieces are added over time.

Articles

Calcutta, 1775

The Indian Bishop Mark

India's first postmark. The complete study of the Calcutta Bishop mark — its origin in Henry Bishop's 1661 London mark, the 1774 Bye-Rule that authorised it, how to read and date a strike, the recorded census, and the surviving covers.

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Guides & reference

How to SearchUse ⌘K to find offices, figure numbers and mark types instantly.Pre Covers of IndiaThe collector's guide to India's pre-1854 covers — identification, value and the census.Pre-1854 Postal HistoryHow mail moved across India before the first adhesive stamp.Indian Pre Stamp CoversReading and collecting entire letters carried before 1854.Ship Letter MarkingsThe maritime marks applied to letters carried by sea.Receiving House MarksSub-office and receiving-house handstamps and their use.Rare HandstampsThe scarcest markings in the census and why they matter.Auction ResultsPrices realized and auction provenance, traced cover by cover.HG Numbers ExplainedHow the Giles catalogue numbers each handstamp.Bengal Postal HistoryPostal routes and offices of the Bengal Presidency.Bombay Postal HistoryPostal routes and offices of the Bombay Presidency.Madras Postal HistoryPostal routes and offices of the Madras Presidency.The Rarity ClubThe rarest covers recorded across the census.GlossaryTerms used across handstruck postal history.

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