Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

PHILATELY

PHILATELY

HIGHLIGHTS * First adhesive postage stamp in world : "Penny Black" bearing a profile portrait of Queen Victoria was issued on May 6, 1840. * Maximum stamps honouring an Indian person were for Mahatma Gandhi. More than 80 stamps of Gandhi were issued by 42 countries. * Largest denomination stamps are the Rs. 50 & Rs. 20 stamps issued as part of Science & Technology series. * Largest Philatelic exhibition in India was held in New Delhi (from Jan 25 - Feb. 3, 1980) organised by the Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department. About 4 lakh stamps were on display. * Wildlife stamps - D. R. Ministry of Bom bay has over 20,000 wildlife stamps. * Ramachandran, an Indian accountant in Dubai, has more than 100,000 postage stamps. * The most valuable stamp ever sold was a One Penny Black of 1856, a British stamp, for $ 280,000 at a 1970 auction. * Capt H.L. Thuillier designed India's first stamps - in 1854. * Lowest denomination stamps in India. Dhar (1897) '/ 2 pice Cochin (1909-46) 2 pice (One pice = 1 / 4 anna) * Rarest stamp : A stamp of 1854 was auctioned by Harmers on May 10, 1988 at London for 52,800 Pounds. * First circular stamp - Scinde Dawk (1852). * First polygonal stamp - four annas 1854. * First oval shaped stamp - (half anna) - issued by Indian state of Bhor (1879). * First Currency Stamp - The Indian State of Bundi printed 3 pices and 1 anna tokens - cards reproducing the current stamps overprinted CASH COUPON BUNDI STATE. * Multilingual Stamps Jammu & Kashmir (1866) — > Arabic and Hindi Bhopal (1935-39) —> English, Arabic and Hindi. Hyderabad (1871-1948) —> English, Marathi, Telugu, & Urdu. In the recent past philatelists have earned name and fame and many awards all over the world. Truly philately is the hobby of Kings and the King of hobbies.

CHRONOLOGY

Philately is the hobby of collecting stamps. It includes postal history. A collec- tor is known as a philatelist. Philately has many branches: eg. Postal history, Tradi- tional philately, Thematics and Aerophi- lately. Earlier, letters were sent by mes- sengers. This was a luxury meant for roy- alty as it was expensive and inconvenient. A messenger used to go running or on horseback and faced many dangers like dacoits and wild beasts. Payment for letters used to be made by the addressees on receipt. The stamp system owes its origin to a British nobleman, Sir Rowland Hill, who was struck by the heavy loss incurred by the postal department, owing to the refusal of many to receive letters. Coming across an old lady reluctant to pay for a letter, Hill received it on her behalf. The lady chided him for being a fool. The letter was from her son, whom she had asked to send a blank page every month indicating that all was well! The only way such losses could be avoided, Hill felt, was by a postal charge. He also proved that carrying letters from one place to another in England would cost a penny, instead of the one shilling being charged, which could be realised by selling a one-penny label at the post offices. Thus the first postage stamp was born on May 6, 1840 in England. It was designed by Sir Rowland Hill and was called the "Black Penny". It had the head of Queen Victoria in black. All UK stamps till this date have the privilege of omitting the name of the country though they carry the head of the Monarch. In India, Bartle Frere, the Commissioner of Sind, introduced paper stamps in token of pre-payment of postage in the province of Sind in 1852. These stamps, the famous 'Scinde Dawks', were the first in Asia. The central design of the stamp was the East India Company's broad arrow. Vermillion

1771 A.D - First handstruck postage stamp. 1852 (1st July) - First All-India Stamp, 'SCINDE DAWK" - issued by Bartle Frere, Commissioner of Sindh (V 2 anna). 1854 (Oct.) - All India stamps (V 2 anna, 1 anna & 4 annas) issued. 1858 (Sept. 17) - First electric telegraph stamp. 1861 (Jan. 4) - First foreign bill stamp. 1863 (Oct. 24) - First customs stamp. First share transfer stamp. 1864 (Nov.) - Kathiawar State — first state in Pre-Independence India to issue a stamp (one anna). 1866 - Earliest official stamp in India is- sued. 1866 (Aug. 1) - First service stamp. 1870 (June 18) - First court stamp. 1873 - Official stamps issued - State of Hyderabad. 1894 (Dec.) - First Philatelic exhibition in India - Govt. School of Art in Calcutta - by Philatelic Society of Bengal. 1900 - First military stamp, overprinted CEF (China Expeditionary Force) for use during the Boxer Rebellion. 1926 - Indian Security Press set up at Nasik to print stamps. 1929 (Oct. 22) - First airmail stamp. 1931 (Feb. 9) - First commemorative stamp. 1947 (Aug. 15) - First stamp of independ- ent India (3 ' 2 anna) with the inscription 'Jai Hind' issued. 1948 (Aug. 15) - First stamp honouring a national leader Mahatma Gandhi. 1980 (Jan. 25 - Feb.3) - Largest Philatelic exhibition in India (New Delhi). 1987 (Aug. 15) - Big stamp commemorating forty years of freedom 1988 (May 9) - Big stamp commemorating First War of Indian Independence. * First stamp in freedom fighter se- ries. 1988 (May 10) - Rare Indian stamp of 1854 auctioned for 52,800 pounds. 1991-Biggest stamp (6.1 cm x 4.6 cm) is- sued in honour of late Rajiv Gandhi.