A Rare Treasure: Indian Stamp

Every year on October 1, National Postal Day is celebrated in India. This celebration is an extension of World Post Day.

India has a long and unique postal history and has delivered countless postage stamp of India. These have been created by an assortment of systems including line etching, typography, lithography, photogravure and web-counterbalance. Stamps in India have been created both for postage and for administration or income. Stamps have been delivered both as imperforated sheets, punctured, and smaller than usual sheets.

The history of stamps of India began with the introduction of paper postage in Sindh, India (now in Pakistan) in 1852. Sir Bartel Frere, the commissioner of the Sindh, introduced the stamps, and then known as 'ScindeDawk' in 1852 but the Indian stamps were withdrawn in October 1854, after the introduction of regular Indian postage stamps.

The old Indian stamps have a very big collection of rare Indian postage stamps such as: The Queen Victoria Collection from Gwalior Convention State during British India or the King George V collection from the Indian Expeditionary Force of British India.

Another such Indian rare stamps are the British India-Feudatory State time’s collection of Indore stamps. Indore was earlier known as AhiliyaNagri. The founder of the House of Holkar was MalharRao, born in 1694. In 1761, after the Panipat, MalharRao acquired territories stretching from the Deccan to the Ganges. In 1805, a peace treaty was concluded between the chief and the British.

From 1904-06, definitive type of vertical rectangle Indian stamp were issued. These rare Indian stamp were printed on the following theme; Devanagari and English inscription, Raja,Type 4, Overprinted with S1. These rare stamps of India were issued in the commemoration of Maharaja TukojiRao Holkar III, who ruled Indore from 1903 – 1926.

There were 8 stamps issued under this collection. They were of 1/4 anna (orange color), 1 anna (green color), 2 annas (brown color), 3 annas (violet color), and 4 annas (ultramarine color). The other three were different variants of the 1/2 anna.

All these stamps were printed at Recess Perkins, Bacon & Co. To find out more about the old Indian stamps visit the Mintage World.

Collecting Stamps in India Can Nurture Young Minds

There are many people who wonder what’s the point in accumulating Indian stamps! Well, there are several benefits of indulging in this amazing hobby and most of us are unaware about them. Let’s find out how collecting rare stamps of India can change the attitudes and personalities of young minds and how it can add a dash of fun in their learning process.

Learning Made Fun
Most students get bored when they start reading their textbooks. The education system in India needs to be revamped to make learning a fun experience. Introducing kids to stamps of India can increase their excitement levels to great extent. Old Indian stamps can reveal a lot about our country’s rich history, cultures and traditions. Apart from that, the hobby will greatly increase their general knowledge as they start reading about the imagery depicted on various stamps. Indian stamps follow a wide variety of themes and topics like architecture, famous personalities, wildlife, scientific innovations, art forms and a lot more. Once children start engaging themselves in this wonderful hobby, they wouldn’t make out the difference between learning and having fun!

Personality Development
By collecting Indian rare stamps, children can enhance their personality in different ways. They would become more responsible when they understand the importance of taking good care of their collection. When they start joining different clubs and start attending exhibitions, they will invariably interact with fellow collectors, which in turn, will improve their interpersonal skills and confidence levels. When they dedicatedly look for a particular postage stamp of India or study about it, their concentration power will also improve over a period of time. 

Extra Source of Income
Rare Indian stamps have a very good market value. You can invest in them and sell them later for a much higher value when there is a demand. The hobby not only brings joy in your lives, but also can fetch you some money in the long run. However, it is very crucial to take special care of rare Indian postage stamps and store them in good quality stamp albums so that you maintain their condition for a long period of time. 

So, start collecting stamps in India and encourage young kids to do the same as well!