FLAGS IN COAT-OF-ARMS ON BIJAWAR PRINCELY STATE FISCALS

"FLAGS IN COAT-OF-ARMS" ON PRINCELY STATE OF BIJAWAR FISCALS

By Col Jayanta dutta

Bijawar state was formerly in Central India (Bundelkhand Agency). The area of state was 2520 KM2 and with a population of 1,10,500 in 1901. The Privy purse of state on the time of accession (1 January 1950) was Rs. 5,20,000.

Only one type of court fee stamp is known which has the coat-of-arms with flags.

 Known used in 1944-48, size 75x38mm. Wove paper, Printer: L.V.Indap & Co, Bombay

 

Indap specimen with rubber stamp SAMPLE OF NO VALUE

4 (Four) Annas, blue

Four Annas, green-blue, 

Note; The Hindi value panel contains Aa first

 One Rupee, brown. (1 Re)

One Rupee, yellow brown. (Re1)

Two Rupees, red, value unrecorded in KM

 To be continued

Fiscals of the Princely State of Alwar

Fiscals of the Princely State of Alwar,

Flags and Coat-of-Arms

 by Col Jayanta Dutta

Alwar state formerly Rajputana Jaipur Residency; now in Rajasthan state, India.

 Area of state was 3,158 square miles, and population of state was 749,751 in 1931. Privy purse of state on the time of accession was Rs.5, 20,000/-

Alwar issued several series of adhesives and stamped papers. Not all had the coat of arms with the flag. Here we illustrate the issues which had the coat of arms with the flag. 

Court fees stamps

Second series is KM Type 10 (about 1920-1925): Different perforations are known, even e.g. 14 x 14 x 11 x 14, size 77x36mm, creamy wove paper, Watermark multiple rosettes.

 

Third series KM Type- 15 replaced Second series, bearing updated Coat-of-Arms

 Fourth series KM Type -16 used in 1931-49, bearing redrawn with smaller crown in Coat-of-Arms:  size 76x36mm. Perf. 12-1/2, Lithographed

 KM Types 5 to 16 were issued perforated, the next two series are known only imperforate.

Fifth series KM Type -17 imperforate

Sixth series KM Type 18 imperforate

with Rajasthan State overprint.

The difference between these two types is the position of crown in Coat-of-Arms. Both series were valid between 1940-1949. Please note that many examples from Types 16-18 bear overprint Rajasthan in use after Independence

Then, 5 series of smaller Revenues for general purposes (or Non-judicials) are known (mostly differences are in Coat-of-Arms series, type of printing and perforations).

KM Type 31 - change of Coat-of-Arms: in 1910-25, size 25x30mm. Perf. 14, Wove paper.Printed on Watermarked paper

 Proof of KM Type 31 imperforate in carmine-red color

 KM Type-32, used 1920-25, size 24x28mm. Perf. 11-1/2, Wove paper

 1 Anna, pale brown

1 Anna, red brown

1 Anna, chocolate brown

 1 Anna, black brown 

 KM  Type 33:  used in 1940-49, size 24x28mm. Imperf., Wove paper. The crown between the flags is narrow and teller.

KM Type 34:

Printed on unwatermarked paper

1 Anna, black-brown 
 Printed on thin unwatermarked paper 

 1 Anna, black-brown

 1 Anna, red brown, ovpt. Rajasthan  state

Type-34, used in 1945, size 24x28mm. Perf 14., Wove paper. The crown is dropped to a lower position between the flags.

 Essay in black

1 Anna, black brown

 Alwar issued also several stamped paper series for several specific usages.The first is for Hundis.
Three types are listed in KM. Here, 2 annas of Type 10: All these Hundis are very scarce.

 

Second issue is provisional issue, where Court Fee stamp was 'converted into Non-judicial' by overprint: Only 3 values are known from this Type

Much later, circa 1935 Alwar issued several designs, all with coat-of-arms in central part.
Type 22:

 Type 25 - not listed yet:

 And finally several series, all of them look very similar, they differ mostly in the printer inscription at right bottom:
Type 34: GOVT PRESS, ALWAR

 Type 36: WATERLOW & SONS

Other series exist either with no imprint (Type 32) or STATE PRESS, ALWAR (Type 30) or THOMAS DE LA RUE (Type 40)-with changed coat-of-arms.
Here is photo of beautiful watermark (taken through light source) which bear most of the above-mentioned paper series:

                                                                     (To be continued)

Rise, Fall and Rise and Becoming of Singapore: Flag Events

FLAG EVENTS ARE INTERPRETIVE SYMBOLISM

 Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the second century AD. Modern Singapore was founded as a trading post of the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained full sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826.

 

The facsimile of the letter on the $2 stamp, written by Sir Stamford Raffles to Col. Attenbrooke on 10 June1819, reads ".... I have just planted the British Flag....", an  archival document of the British colonisation of Singapore.

 

Singapore was occupied by the Japanese in World War II

On this day 15 February 1942,British forces in Singapore forced to surrender unconditionally to the Japanese Forces seven days after the Japanese troops first stormed the island.

The Japanese insisted that Lt. General A.E.Percival, GOC in C, Malaya, himself march under a "White Flag" to the Old Ford Motor Factory in Bukit Timah to negotiate the surrender.

 The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia.  The fighting in Singapore lasted from 8–15 February 1942. It resulted in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan Campaign. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the ignominious fall of Singapore to the Japanese the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British history.In just seven days, Singapore, the "Impregnable Fortress", had fallen.
(Source Wikipedia) 

 With the turn of events in the World War II and the irony of fates on 15 August 1945, Japan announced its surrender. 
 
The formal signing of the surrender instrument was held at City Hall, Singapore, then known as "Municipal Hall", on 12 September 1945. This was followed by a celebration at the Padang, which included a victory parade. Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Command, came to Singapore to receive the formal surrender of the Japanese forces in the region from General Seishirō Itagaki on behalf of General Hisaichi Terauchi. A British military administration utilizing surrendered Japanese troops as security forces was formed to govern the island until March 1946.

  The above two stamps, released in 1960, are the first stamps depicting new National flag of Singapore to have the words “State of Singapore” printed on them.
The British granted internal self-government of Singapore in 1959. On 31st August 1963 Singapore declared independence from Britain. Singapore became part of Malaysia between 1963 and 1965. On 9 August 1965, it broke away from Malaysia and became a fully independent sovereign nation.

FLAGS ON INDIAN PRINCELY STATE FISCALS -

 Alipura State Fiscals

By; Colonel Jayanta Dutta of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune

Alipura was a princely state in what is today the Chhatarpur District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. 

The fiscal stamps bore the coat of arms of the erstwhile Alipura state which had flags of the state.

Alipura issued only one series of Court Fees and one series of Revenue stamps (general purpose).
Court Fee series
 
  On some of the Court Fee stamps is handstamped indicating use in Charkhari state (not yet reported) - in the centre

 Revenue stamp series

 Also, one type of stamped papers is known

 To be continued

FLAGS ON INDIAN PRINCELY STATE FISCALS

Colonel Jayanta Dutta, MD, FISCD, FIPHA, FCCP of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and an well-known philatelist of India has kindly agreed to contribute articles on fiscals related to Flags.
Here goes the first installment;

Do you know India had nearly 550 princely states and nearly 250 of this states had their own Court Fee and Revenue stamps. Many of these states were too small in area and population, so such stamps were issued in very small quantity.  And even major part from the issued stamps were either destroyed by government relative agency (ies) or found in damaged condition. So, available quantity is supposed to be a minor part of the stamps issued. If you are collecting post-independence, thematically or foreign stamps or say foreign currency notes or post independence notes or coins, this would be an endless collection because everyday new issues comes out and you have to keep on updating your collection regularly.

On the other hand, if you are collecting Indian native states fiscals, there is nothing new is going to be issued, thereby one can try and make a complete collection, and mind you these stamps were not for public use. All these states had issued few stamps and we are still lucky that we can get these stamps, though, as usual, most of the stock has gone to the UK and USA as there is a foundation which has invested huge money and collected Indian princely states' fiscals and have also published a standard catalogue specially on fiscals of Indian princely states (Koeppel & Manners)

 

 For lovers of flags Indian Princely States fiscal offers many verities and I thought to begin with the whole exercise alphabetically with Akalkot state.

Akalkot was located in Bombay Residency. Akalkot had an area of 498 square miles, with about 90,000 inhabitants.

  Akalkot issued Court Fees, Receipts and 

Stamped papers. 

 

The first series of Court Fees bears the inscription Akalkot state. The flag exists in several sizes (not mentioned in K&M). Note that this Court Fee is unused and this is rare

 The second Court Fee series used changed spelling of state, now being Akalkat state. Note the doubling of red color (the flag and denomination).

 The third series included the flag in design and was not printed in second operation as opposed to the first two designs

Wagah Border Sunset Parade and Beating the Retreat (Lowering of Flags of India and Pakistan)

In continuation of my post dated February 01, 2012,  I am pleased to add the write-up on 'Wagah Retreat Ceremony' sent to me by Mr. Dharminder Kapoor, Secretary of Amritsar Philatelic Club, Amritsar for the benefit of all discerning collectors. 
Thank you Mr. Kapoor.