| |
Collecting rare stamps is
exciting. This of course is easier said than done. To be able to
identify a rare stamp requires some knowledge of philately for the
rarity of a stamp depends on many factors. Stamps which have errors in
printing, content, or perforation are generally considered rare. For
instance, the commemorative stamp which was issued in honor of
Kirupananda Wariar had a printing error. The color was not uniform
throughout but kept fading in certain parts of the stamp.
Indian commemorative stamps of Mahatma Gandhi are very rare and there
has always been a demand for the set of 4 stamps. The first stamp of
Gandhi was issued on Independence Day. Gandhi rubbing noses with a
child, Gandhi with Kasturba and Nehru, and Gandhi with a chakra are
stamps which will have lifelong appeal and demand. In honor of His
connection with South Africa, not only did India issue stamps but so did
South Africa. Some of Gandhi’s stamps cost over rs.60,000.
In addition to Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who founded the Azad
Hind was also very popular and 6 stamps were issued. These are
considered to be very rare. There was a double impression on the stamp
of the Taj Mahal. This error has made it a rare stamp. In 1871, the
first Indian postage stamps were issued for postal use of the locals. As
the die had to be re-cut several times and also had to be tried on
different kinds of paper, almost 55 types of stamps surfaced between the
years1871 and 1877.Some of these stamps are considered quite rare.
On one occasion, the job of printing stamps was given to a private
printer. These were of such poor quality that they had to be withdrawn.
This set of 4 stamps featured the “endangered water birds of India”.
Before they could be withdrawn, some thousands of stamps had been
supplied for release to the public. These stamps fall into the category
of being “rare”.
An Indian stamp which is used abroad is usually considered rare. Many
Indian stamps were used in Burma from 1854 and after 1856, octagonal
postmarks associated with the Bengal Postal Circle were used on the
stamps. These stamps which also had the postmarks of various towns in
Burma are hard to find. The special military stamps which were issued in
honor of the Indians fighting in Korea have an overprint which makes
them invaluable. These are pretty hard to locate. An error on the stamp
is an indication that it might be rare and hence have value. Some stamps
have inverted pictures on them and are worth quite a lot. Four
denominations stamps were issued by the East India Company during the
year 1954. The watermark on about 25 5tamps set them apart from the
rest.
Thus we see that there are several attributes which must be satisfied if
a stamp is to fall within the purview of the “rare” category. The art of
collecting only “rare stamps” can prove to be very frustrating and
exhausting, but if you do succeed in making a collection, you will
definitely not regret it.
Author Mini Swami. copyright
data 2007. Indianchild.com
|
|
