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I found some time and have scanned interesting and scarce varieties from my starter Travancore and Travancore-Cochin collection.
Within about a week I will post here many scans from my collection.

The first issue of Travancore was issued on 16 October 1888. It comprises from 3 values and were printed on laid paper.

1 chuckram value:



2 chuckram value - unused and used:







Although SG lists only 1 shade, 2 shades are known to the specialists. You can clearly see the difference in the above scans. The cancels are mostly THI numbers, where number below Malayalam THI is number of post office. About 95 numbers are known.

4 chuckram value - used:

Hi Jiri

great to see a new thread dedicated to travancore alone. can u give a little more info: on the essays/proofs of these stamps.SG in their footnote says the abnormal colours of these values are proofs. Although I reside in erstwhile travancore state I hardly have any info on these proofs nor have seen any....

Rgds
George from Kerala

Dear George,
I know them only from SG but I have not seen them yet. I must say I started my collection in January 2010. If I will have images of them, I will surely post them here.

The second issues is on wove paper. Many values which differs in design was printed on paper with three types of watermark.
Here, I will show only selected plate flaws and other nice varieties.

First is 3/4 chuckram value in black showing constant variety - I called it underlined S in STAMP:



I have examples of this flaw on unoverprinted stamps and also on several official issues.

The 1/2 chuckram issue has listed plate flaw: CHUCRRAM instead of CHUCKRAM, position R5/6 on a sheet of 84.

6 Cash has several listed varieties, the most prominent are imperforate between pairs (Wmk C) and printed both sides.

I have two examples of imperforate between pair (in horizontal pair):





And one example of stamp printed both sides. The color of one print is much paler and therefore it was printed on the second side.

2 chuckram value in shades of red. I found on this value damage to the central conch shell. I am including also normal (first) for comparison:

All the above-shown stamps are perforated 12. About in 1937 also new perforator 12 1/2 and later also 11 was introduced. Only stamps with the last wmk C are known perforated also 12 1/2 or with compound perforation.
The only example in my collection of compound perforation is SG 44c - 3 chuckram value:



Perforated 12 x 12 1/2. I consider this perforation variety quite scarce. Current SG values this variety about 200 more than normal example perforated 12.

7 chuckram value is the second highest in the set. Normal color of this value is claret (wine-red). SG lists also error of color - carmine-red. I have example of significant color shades on stamps with wmk B:



The first in clear claret (I also have other 2 copies of the same shade), but the second is another shade. What is your opinion, could it be carmine-red?

This value is also printed on wmk C paper, which were printed in several shades, but I don´t have any copy yet.

The first surcharges were made in 1906. Large numbers 1/4 and 3/8, were surcharged on 1/2 chuckram value. The quality of overprints is not good, there are a lot of differences among various plate positions, mostly on 1/4 value.

Here, tilted surcharge variety:



The small 4 variety:

The varieties of Travancore certainly are fascinating.

What, may I ask, is the source or sources that document the known plate flaws? I will have to search for the plate flaws you have already illustrated.

I have a stamp of the second design type with the left border completely missing. I'll post it later when I have access to my scanner.

Congratulations on an interesting thread.

Great stuff! For someone who's only been doing Travancore for 6 months, you've made extraordinary progress.

I'm looking forward to more - do keep it coming!

Thanks a lot. I looked through various articles in India Post, but have not found anything about plate flaws. So, the source is only my collection. In 3/4 chuckram value I have about 3 examples of underlined S (normal and official overprints), so it must be a constant variety.
I know that this value is known with left border missing. It is surprising that this variety is not listed in SG. On the other hand, this variety is listed in KM with CF overprint and I have this stamp in my collection of fiscals.
Please, post an image here.

In March 1921 surcharges were made. 1 Cash on 4 cash and 5 cash on 1 chuckram.
1 cash on 4 cash are known either on normal white paper, but also on yellowish paper.

Example on normal paper:



Example on yellowish paper:

Similar paper variations are known on coronation series.
Here are examples of white and cream papers on 10 cash values:

White paper:



Cream paper:

In 1932, new provisionals were made. Many errors are known and listed in SG. Here is fascinating irregular block of 27 of overprint double (and some could be listed as overprint triple):



SG 51b+SG 51c

And here one prominent plate scratch:



SG 51

Most of issues were overprinted on papers with wmks A and B, but less numbers were overprinted on wmk C paper. Here is used copy:



SG 54

Another overprint style was made 2 moths later. In this series also larger amount of errors are known.

Inverted overprint:



SG 59b

Overprint double, several copies:



SG 59c



And here in a block of 6:

In Temple Entry Proclamation several perforation varieties are scarce.

Here is an example of perf. 12 1/2 for 1 1/2 chuckram value:



SG 62b

And also several compound perforation are known.
Example - perforated 12 1/2 x 12 - 12 cash:



SG 61b

The printing cliches were not well aligned. Example is shown here:

The last series of Travancore are full of compound perforation. I also found that letters in overprints are not well aligned in some positions. Here is an example of 4 cash, with SH raised:



SG 74a

Here is a strip of 3 imperforate between:



SG 76bb

The last issue of Travancore is overprint SPECIAL over SERVICE.
This issue is not easy to find.

Mint example:



SG 77

Used example:

Here is the 3/4 chuckram with the missing left frame. It is noticeably narrower than the normal stamp. I measure this stamp at 22mm horizontally and the normal stamp at 23mm.

Jiri, I have a mint SG 46 and a used SG 19 in the same shade, and I've always - perhaps optimistically - classified them as the 'carmine-red' varieties. They're certainly quite distinct from the ordinary 'claret', and there doesn't seem to be a range of intermediate shades.

Is there any significance in the positioning high, middle or low, of some of the surcharges, like these SG 31s



and these



SG 57s?

I'm sure I read something about it once, but I can't recall what it was now.

Jiri, this reminded me I have a (split) sheet of this value too, but without the double and triple surcharges, unfortunately. (That really is a spectacular block!) Looking at the two sheet corners, I noticed that the left hand side jubilee lines were in different positions.



I don't know if it has any significance, but I thought I'd pass it on anyway.

These both provisionals were made most likely in a rush and therefore not so much attention was paid to the right alignment of surcharges. I have seen few complete sheets of SG 57 and all of them have various positions of surcharges. The surcharge in the top row is usually at top and then in each row is placed more down.
I think the same applies also for SG 31.

On the other hand examples of SG 50s and 51s are much better aligned and the various positions are due to misplacement of surcharge printing plate rather than various placement of each surcharge on the plate.

Your example also has a double perforation at top.
I think this may indicate that several settings of basic stamp existed. This may apply also for surcharges.

I think that several settings of Official overprints (except types O3-O5) must exist.

I hope, then, that the printers didn't rearrange the clichés for each setting. If they did, your task would never end!

Then I have at least something to collect.

And now finally stamps for official use.
SG lists 8 different overprint styles. Here is Type O1.

On wmk B - 1 chuckram with both S S inverted:



SG O5h

Here is on 3 chuckram stamp most likely constant variety - large white area instead of column of leaves, after right S:



And inverted right S:



SG O8e

2 chuckram value with plate flaw - white area in HE in ANCHEL:

Here is a variety of 4 chuckram value - damaged top frame line:



And right S inverted:



SG O10f

And now a very scarce variety - blue overprint instead of common black:



SG O11

The blue overprints in this series are quite scarce especially on high values. The color is from dark blue to almost black-blue. The best is to compare them with normal black overprints.

On wmk A - varieties:

4 cash value:
Printing irregularity - On G S:



And overprint double (or additional kiss print?):



On this wmk is not recorded by SG.

Blue overprints:

Inverted overprint on 5 cash value:



SG O14a

6 cash - inverted overprint in black:



SG O15b

And normal overprint in blue:



SG O16

1/2 chuckram - imperforate between in vertical pair:



SG O17c

10 cash - is this double overprint?



SG O18c?

On wmk C - 7 chuckrams
Right S inverted:



SG O26c

And maybe in carmine-red.

And now Type O2.

10 cash varieties:

Inverted overprint:



SG O31d

Inverted O:



SG O31f

And mis-shaped right S:

1 1/4 chuckrams

Color varieties:



SG O32

And carmine-red?:



SG also did not list these shades.

And different shape of both S in the overprint:

And inverted right S in 14 chuckram value:



Surprisingly, not listed by SG.

Type O3, only 10 cash (rare) and 1 1/4 chuckram:



SG O37

Type O5, only 3/4 and 4 chuckram values.
The former is common, but 4 chuckram is scarcer. Here are 2 copies in my collection:





SG O40

Type O6 - with oval O - 16 mm spacing.
4 cash value - wmk A



SG O41 - issued with gum