Post office · Straits Settlements
Penang
- Handstamps
- 12
- Recorded
- 1806–1858
- Rare
- 12
Penang has 12 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1806–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Penang handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1806–1817 | Rare |
| FP 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1820–1821 | Rare |
| FP 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1826–1836 | Common |
| FP 4 | Handstamp | RedBlack | 1836–1846 | Scarce |
| FP 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1840–1850 | Very scarce |
| FP 6 | Handstamp | Black | 1849–1855 | Very scarce |
| FP 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1854–1858 | Rare |
| FP 8 | Handstamp | Black | 1844–1849 | Rare |
| FP 9 | Handstamp | Black | 1846–1854 | Rare |
| FP 10 | Handstamp | Black | 1844–1845 | Rare |
| FP 11 | Handstamp | Black | 1851 | Rare |
| FP 12 | Handstamp | Black | 1838–1847 | Scarce |
Penang— postal history & markings
Penang's twelve markings, running 1806 to 1858, belong to the Straits Settlements, and its early strikes are uniformly elusive: FP 1 of 1806, FP 2 of 1820 and FP 3 of 1826 are all rare. The office worked almost entirely in black, with only a single mark in red.
As a Straits office, Penang lies outside the Hammond Giles catalogue of British India proper, and every one of its marks is recorded here directly from surviving material rather than from an existing reference — which makes its run of rare early handstamps all the more valuable to document. For the collector of the eastern settlements administered through Bengal, Penang's twelve marks trace half a century of posting from one of the region's principal ports.
Frequently asked — Penang postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Penang?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Penang are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Penang post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Penang was a post office of the Straits Settlements, British India, and this census records 12 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1806 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Penang?
- 12 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Penang in this census, of which 12 are graded rare or better. 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 Penang 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 Penang 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 Penang were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Penang, Penang handstruck stamps, Penang pre stamp covers, Penang postal history.
How to cite
“Penang, Straits Settlements — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/straits-settlements/penang (accessed 12 September 2026).
Updated: 12 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Penang?
If you hold a cover or strike from Penang 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 Straits Settlements
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Straits Settlements post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.