Right from the British rule to finally, the day of Independence, the country of India takes immense pride to illustrate its history, rich heritage and culture in the world. Each element of India displays the sense of belonging and pride in its history. These rare Indian postal stamps truly reflect the Indian legacy.

Postal stamps find their significance in the country through enthusiastic stamp collectors, foreign nationals and you, lovers of the Indian heritage! In addition, each stamp displays an authentic Indian story that relates to the notable personalities and commemorative historical events thus making these stamps, the most valuable Indian stamps that showcase nothing but pride!

Mahatma Gandhi Stamp

This should give you goose bumps as this is one of the most valuable Indian stamps. Mahatma Gandhi created history and Indian government paid pride by issuing this stamp in the iconic year of 1948. It signifies the first anniversary of Indian Independence. Less than 200 copies of the stamp had been printed. It is also one of the most wanted Indian stamps. The word “Service” overprinted on it makes it a unique collectors’ item.

Inverted Head Stamp

Guess what? One of India’s antique stamps had been issued with an error. Subsequently, the ‘4 annas stamp’ with an inverted head received immense recognition. It was the prime multicolored stamp issued in India. More than 2 lakh copies printed. However, only 28 are spotted till date. In fact, the stamp issued in 1854 has not failed to create a spark in the hearts of history buffs!

Unknown Postal Stamp – Birds of Prey

One of the rare postal stamps of India happens to be the Birds of Prey stamp. Trust me, it you would be 1 in a million if you receive an opportunity to spot this legacy. The Government misprinted the stamp. Rs.1 replaced Rs.2 in the print. However, the mistake was instantly rectified. What’s interesting? Some of the copies still exist in the souls of philatelic society. Something even more interesting? Further, an error was also made in the spelling of the Bird’s name. 2014,saw the realization of the stamp value. 

Duttia 1/2 Anna Stamp

This is one of the oldest Indian stamps. It stands to be rare as currently, only four such specimens are known to exist. The stamp is issued by Madhya Pradesh, representing a small state – Duttia. The era noticed a historical change wherein states printed their own stamps. While only four specimens have been created, one is sold at Cherrystone making it one of the rare stamps of India.

Triennale Art Exhibition Stamp

Errors are specifically good to the philatelic society as these stamps have simultaneously received worthy recognition. This stamp holds significance to the artists, worldwide. It happens to be one of the old Indian stamps with an error in its colour. The stamp specifically denotes the colour blue that additionally receives attraction from stamp collectors.

Scinde District Dawk

One of the antique stamps of India is also the Asia’s first adhesive stamp. Scinde District Dawk stamp was used till the year 1854 and is indeed a rare stamp to be spotted in the current era. It has 1/2 value inscribed on it however it has been valued at £65000 in the year 2006. This rare stamp has been presented with minor errors, accurate colour and common cracks in May 2019.

South Africa Joint Issue Stamp

As per statistics this stamp is one of the most wanted Indian stamps. Only 2 antique stamps have been issued by the Indian Government. This stamp displays the joint pictures of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi to throw light on the history of Pietermaritzburg station incident along with Mandela’s birth cenetary. It is one of most unknown Indian stamps as the images depict the leaders, when they were in South Africa. 

King George Error Stamp

Although there are various stamps with error, the stamp where the picture of the King goes missing, is indeed a big error! This stamp is one of the antique stamps of India as only 8 such copies are spotted till date. The postage stamp is excellently designed with elephants as the riders of King George. This old stamp was issued in the year 1926 and some of these tamps also have had partial head omitted. In the history of Indian stamps, serves to be a treasure to commonwealth collectors!

Blue Scinde Dawk Stamp

The history of Indian stamps cannot be narrated without the eye-catching Blue Scinde Dawk stamp. The same stamp had been printed in red however due to its fragile feature, it was discarded. Later, the blue stamp as released in the year 1852. It happens to be one of the rare Indian stamps because of its shade, embossed feature and large margins. The stamp is valued at ½ anna and is a true rarity for the philatelic society.

Violet Official Provisional Stamp

Violet Official Provisional Stamp is one of the unknown postal stamps of India. The stamp was issued in 1866. This is an antique stamp as it had been released with an attempt to scrap it’s personal usage by the Government officials. The stamp also went under the process of improvisation. This one happens to be one of the rare Indian stamps due to its colour, inscriptions and overprinting. 

Conclusion

Isn’t it amazing that some of these stamps hold value of more than 1 crore Indian rupees? The philatelic society is a niche corner in India however Indian stamps indeed hold extreme value in the eyes of commonwealth collectors, historical buffs and the homo-sapiens who take pride in the heritage of India. 

Some of the unknown postal stamps of India today, are somewhere, in some part of world waiting to receive recognition and pride in the huge world of philatelists. These antique postal stamps of India are known to create a sense of immense pride with their features, errors, colors and historic creation to promote rich, national heritage of India.

If you’re also an Art enthusiast, check this out! : 10 Prominent Frescoes Of India For A Historical Tour

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