Two Rare Stamps of India Every Collector Dreams of Owning

Rare stamps of India have always captured the attention of collectors and philatelists all across the globe because of their extremely high market-value and demand. Let's take a look at two of the most iconic stamps of India that are world-famous because of their rarity and historical significance.

10 Rupees Gandhi Stamp 1948:

When it comes to Indian stamps, the 10 Rupees Postage stamp featuring Gandhiji, issued in 1948 is world-famous in the field of philately. They were issued to celebrate the first anniversary of our country's Independence. With this release, Mahatma Gandhi became the first Indian personality to be honoured on a postage stamp of India. As few as 100 such pieces were overprinted with the word "Service" and offered exclusively to the then Governor General of India, C. Rajagopalachari. This version of the famed Gandhi Stamp is considered as one of the rarest stamps of India.

The initial idea was to print stamps with a picture of Mahatma Gandhi along with the text "Bapu" in Hindi in January 1948. The India Security Press in Nashik was asked to manufacture a set of four such stamps. However, Gandhi was killed before the stamps were issued. The plan was changed and the Government thought of releasing them as a tribute to the father of our nation. However, this time, they wanted to use a photogravure press to print the issues. The Swiss printers, Helio Courvoisier, Sa. LaChaux De Fonds were asked to print them as the India Security Press did not have the required technology for photogravure printing. Also, the text "Bapu" was depicted in Hindi as well as in Urdu to denote communal harmony. Four sets in denominations 1.5 annas, 3.5 annas, 12 annas and 10 rupees were produced and released on 15th August 1948. 

The 10 Rs postage stamp of India had a reddish background and Mahatma Gandhi's image was in grey in colour. 250,000 such stamps were printed in sheets of 50, containing 5 rows of 10 stamps each. These rare stamps of India had a perforation of 11.5 mm. The mintage limit of service stamps are considered to be the least in the world. Some of them were handed out to important personalities. A sheet of 50 is showcased at the National Archives, Postal Museums, etc. According to experts, only eight such rare Indian stamps are owned by individual collectors.

On 5th October 2007, one set was sold for 38,000 Euros in the David Feldman auction sale. Another example of these Indian rare stamps was sold by the same company for 1,44,000 Euros in 2001. By this time, 18 such stamps were known to collectors. A block of four overprinted 10 Rs Service stamps was sold in Australia for 500,000 in April 2017.

Inverted head 4 Annas 1854:

Here's another Indian stamp that every philatelist dreams of owning. The 4 Annas stamps were issued in red and blue colour in 1854 and are considered to be one of the earliest multicoloured stamps. The error stamp was accidentally manufactured during the production process and features an inverted portrait of Queen Victoria.

The lithography process was used to print the rare Indian postage stamps at Survey Office in Calcutta. The red frames were printed first and the sheets were left to dry for a day. The blue-coloured portrait was printed inside the frame over this sheet on the following day. 206,040 such stamps in India were manufactured using Head Die I and Frame Die I on 13th October 1854. Each sheet contained just 12 stamps. Six sheets were placed inside the press backwards, leading to this invert error.

Only 28 examples of these old Indian stamps exist today and all of them were used. Two or three examples are cut in square while the rest are cut in an octagonal shape. The error was discovered much later in the year 1874. Three octagonal stamps are a part of the Tapling Collection and are showcased at the British Library, London. The Royal Collection and The Government of India Collection have one example each of the octagonal version. Two square shaped versions were in the collection of Desai.

If you ever get a chance to catch a glimpse of these amazing rarities of Indian philately, don't miss it!

Discover the designs and history behind two rare stamps of India that every philatelist dreams of owning. Find out how the famed 10 Rupees Gandhi Service Stamp and Inverted Head 4 Anna stamps were issued. Know about their market value and provenance.

Why Professional Coin Collector Should Invest In Quality Coin Collecting Supplies

The difference between an amateur and a professional is nothing but the way in which one conducts oneself. An amateur will not take his tasks at hand seriously and will do things without following the set rules. Same is the case with the hobby of coin collecting. There are several coin collectors across the world; some of them are serious about pursuing their hobby, while there are others who are doing it to pass their time. Many of them are not even aware about the benefits of collecting coins. There have been several instances where an ancient coin has been sold for millions of dollars. Apart from that, the hobby is not just about collecting coins or making a lot of money. It is also about enriching your knowledge about history and traditions. If you want to take this hobby more seriously then you should have good quality coin collecting supplies with you as well. This will keep coins safe from all kinds of moisture or dust. Let us find out why it is so important to buy branded coin collecting accessories.

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Coin grading is a process that is undertaken by recognised agencies. These agencies grade coins based on various international standards. Coins which are highly graded naturally have a better market value than the ones which are averagely graded. Whenever you add a new coin to your collection, always make sure that you are maintaining the quality of coins by storing them safely in coin collecting supplies like coin albums, coin pages, coin capsules, coin holders, coin storage boxes etc. Today, you don’t need to even make an effort to visit markets to buy coin collecting supplies. You can instead directly buy good quality coin collecting accessories online with just a few clicks. There is no way you can put the blame on your busy schedule. It has become so easy that you can order the best coin collecting accessories online using your mobile phones even when you are on the move!

The reason why you should invest in branded accessories is that they are much more durable than the local ones that you find in the market. These coin collecting supplies will make sure that the quality of your coins remains intact even after several years.

Collect Coins of The World to Live Beyond Four Walls

We generally live a life which is generally constricted within the four walls of our job and responsibilities towards our family. Rarely do we take effort in exploring the world around us. Our lives are very short and I think that we must take some time out in understanding the variety of cultures that are existent around us in the world. Travelling to each of these destinations can be very impractical. Nobody has the time or the money to do something like that. But that doesn't mean that we should be negligent about what is happening around us.

Today, when the internet can provide so much information, nothing can really stop us from enhancing our knowledge about the world we live in. Maybe, some of these stories might inspire us to do something new and give us a bigger or better perspective about problems that we are facing. Another way of doing this is by collecting coins of the world. In fact the hobby of World Coins collection is very popular across several countries. These rare coins give us a deep insight into the history of that particular issuing entity, nation or empire.

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Ancient coins of the world were issued thousands of years ago. Numismatists have been studying them to trace back to those historical times. Imagine the number of empires that were existent in the world, back in those days. This very day is related to events from our past. That's the reason why youngsters need to realise the importance of learning our history. If we forget about our roots and where we have evolved from, we will definitely have an unpredictable future. Many of these ancient world coins have also been sold by auction houses for impressive amounts every now and then. But for a passionate collector, money should not be on the mind. It should purely be the love for the hobby of collecting coins from around the world to increase your knowledge.

Another important aspect about this hobby is research. Whenever you get some time, it is important to read up about the various rare world coins. Referring to authentic website is crucial for any kind of research. Right knowledge is anytime better than half-baked knowledge. There are thousands of websites on the internet which shares information about different types of coins of the world. It is very difficult to trust one particular source of information. Mintage World is one of the very few trusted online platforms where data about coins of the world is presented in a systematic and well-categorised format. All you have to do as a researcher is use the appropriate filters based on time period, ruler name, dynasty, denomination, type of coin, shape of coin etc.

Apart from ancient world coins, Mints from across the globe are reinventing and reimagining coinage in a whole new way. From platinum coins to coins that radiate light in the dark, there are several fascinating collector based world coins that can be purchased online. When it comes to innovation in world coins, Royal Canadian Mint and Australian Mint come in the forefront. Many of these beautiful and unique coins of the world are released as legal tender for small nations like Tuvalu, Niue etc. If you are finding it difficult to build a collection of ancient world coins, you can look out for these fascinating releases online as well.