Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum
 

As my aim is to provide a guide for the perplexed, rather than a simple display, I'll show the stamps thematically rather than chronologically. This means departing from the sequence shown in Gibbons, but hopefully it will make it easier to identify individual stamps.

First a few general comments:

Types: All the lithographed regular issues of Bhopal were drawn by hand onto the lithographic stones. This means that each position in the sheet is different. Nevertheless, individual issues all tend to share the same general characteristics. When comparing your specimen with the example on the screen. you may not (you're actually unlikely to) find an exact match: look for the characteristics specific to the particular issue. These can include spelling errors, positions of letters, and the presence or absence of letters etc.

Spelling errors: Many early Bhopal stamps have spelling errors in the English. These certainly made the stamps popular with collectors, but there isn't any real evidence that they were intentional. Commercial use of the errors on cover isn't at all common, but then, covers of most of the early issues aren't particularly common anyway.

Embossing: The large rectangular types with the blank centres, and many of the other types, were intended to be embossed with the insignia of the ruling Nawab, Shah Jahan Begum up to 1901,



and Sultan Jahan Begum, from 1901 to 1908



The embossing can be found facing in every direction: there isn't any premium for inverted etc or displaced embossing. None of the first, large rectangular types with the second type embossing were issued during Shah Jahan Begum's reign. Any stamps found with it (SG 47 of 1896 is a regular offender) are reprints or remainders.

Condition: If you're a condition freak, I suggest you try collecting something else. The embossing combined with the thin papers usually used frequently caused splitting. On top of that, the somewhat primitive perforating, which can gauge around 3 to 4, means that stamps in perfect condition can be very hard to find.

Reprints and imitations: When the State Post Office was closed to the general public in 1908, all the old types were withdrawn. Demand from philatelists continued, and was met by reprinting, where the old stones were still available, or creating imitations - sometimes rather fanciful. Gibbons once listed these, but hasn't done so for many years. There is evidence that some types may have actually been used postally, however.

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The first, ¼ Anna, stamp of Bhopal is a considerable rarity. I don't have one, so I've borrowed the image of one from Derek Owen Davies' Bhopal Handbook, compiled for the Indian Study Circle:



SG 1

It was accompanied by a ½ Anna stamp in red, which is much more common:



Characteristics: Note the double-lined outer frame and the value in the bottom tablet in two forms, separated by a line.

Apparently, the same stone was used for both values, as both values show the same spelling errors:



SG 2a - 'BFGAM' for 'BEGAM'



SG 2b - 'BEGAN' for 'BEGAM', and



SG 2c - 'EGAM' for 'BEGAM'

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The next issue repeats the pattern, only more so. The ¼ Anna value, SG 3, is perhaps the greatest rarity of Bhopal. It's only listed used, and the illustration in the Bhopal Handbook is too dim to be of much use, unfortunately.

The ½ Anna red is also scarce - scarcer than Gibbons suggests (in 2012, anyway )



SG 4

Characteristics: Value in two forms, separated by a thick, curved line; single outer frame

The following two ¼ Anna blacks can't be confused with either of their rare predecessors: all stamps in the sheets were mis-spelled 'EEGAM' for 'BEGAM':



SG 5, and



SG 5a

Characteristics: All stamps are lettered 'EEGAM'; value in two forms, separated by a thin line. In SG 5, the frame lines around the stamps continue, connecting to the stamps on all sides. In SG 5a, the frame lines don't connect.

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

A set of five values, from ¼ Anna to 4 Annas, appeared in 1881. These seem to have again all been printed from the same stone, with the value being altered as required.



SG 17



SG 18



SG 19



SG 20, and



SG 21

There was only one spelling error in the sheet: 'NWAB' for 'NAWAB', on the last three stamps on the sheet.



SG 18a



SG 19a (second 1 Anna stamp) - showing that the spelling errors were actually commercially used



SG 20a The apparent doubling seems to be rather common on this issue. It was probably due to inexperienced printers dropping the paper back onto the stone, rather than genuine double prints.

Characteristics: Stops after each 'H'; the 'M' of 'BEGAM' is squat, with the legs of the 'M' vertical; the 'G' of 'BEGAM' looks like a 'C'

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

Next is a ½ Anna, issued imperf (common) and perf (rare). I can only show the common ½ Anna, unfortunately:



SG 22

Characteristics: Tall, spindly lettering; all stamps, except for one (Row 2/1), lettered 'BEGAN'

Next, followed a 4 Anna value, on wove paper and imperf (very rare) and laid paper (common) both imperf and perf.

This may be an imperf on laid paper



SG 25, possibly , and



SG 26

Characteristics: Rather 'wide' stamps; the colour is more lemon than either of the other 4 Anna stamps; the laid paper of SG 26 is distinctive - it was the only 4 Anna printed on laid

Next (1889) was a pair of ¼ Annas, again both imperf and perf:



SG 27, and



SG 28

Characteristics: All lettered 'BEGAN', otherwise, SG 27 and 28 are rather similar to SG 29 and 33

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The only other near full set, of four values, followed, in 1889. These appeared imperf and perf. Unlike the last set, each value was drawn separately onto the litho stones, so the spelling errors aren't repeated.



SG 29, and



SG 33



SG 30, and



SG 34 - We don't usually bother to remark on EFOs in the Uglies



SG 31 and



SG 35



SG 32 and



SG 36

Characteristics: Single stop after 'HH' (usually on the ¼ Anna) or no stops at all; legs of the 'M' of BEGAM splayed, like an inverted 'W'

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

There were two spelling errors on the 2 Anna stamp:



SG 31a - 'BBEGAM" for 'BEGAM, and



SG 31b - 'NAWAH' for 'NAWAB' This comes from Row 4/2. Row 4/1 can be mistaken for the error



but it looks as if some attempt has been made here to correct the mistake, which was allowed to remain on the next stamp.

There was a similar ½ Anna value issued in 1891, which really belongs with this set, but which Gibbons separates out because it was printed in sheets of 32 rather than the 24 for the other values. Is this sufficient justification?



SG 37,



SG 38

Characteristics: As for SG 29-36; no spelling errors

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

Two printings of the 1 Anna value followed, between 1894 and 1898. They're easy enough to distinguish from previous printings, but not at all easy to distinguish from each other, in single stamps anyway.



SG 39



SG 41 There is no SG 40. Gibbons used to list a 'red-brown' shade, as opposed to the 'deep brown' of the normal stamp, at 12x normal. As there's a range of shades, up to very nearly red-brown, the distinction was probably unnecessary.

SG 42 is listed as on white paper, and SG 43 on buff. With the ravages of toning on paper, I'm not sure how useful this distinction is these days. These stamps are probably the SG 43 on buff paper:



SG 43, and the sole spelling error



SG 43a - 'NAWAH' for 'NAWAB'

Characteristics: The tilde-like dash '~' over the Persian 'A' in the bottom value tablet is almost always inside the octagon; the stamps are distinctly 'tall'. SG 42-43 are said to have the lines more shakey than those in SG 39-41. This is true on some, but not all of SG 42-43. These stamps often lack the embossing, unlike earlier stamps, which almost always have at least traces of it.

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

Two ¼ Annas and a ½ Anna, all in black, and all looking to have been drawn by the same hand, followed in 1895.

The ¼ Annas again occur imperf



SG 44, and perf



SG 45

Characteristics: Printed on laid paper; small, cramped lettering; all mis-spelled 'EEGAM'

And the ½ Anna



SG 46

Characteristics: Printed on laid paper; small, cramped lettering; the Hs resemble Ws

The last of the large rectangular stamps appeared in 1896, a ½ Anna in red:



SG 47

Characteristics: Printed on laid paper; double-lined frame, similar to SG 2, but the value in only one form, and not separated by a line

These stamps are often found with the new, circular, embossing: these are remainders or imitations. No real value

Next, the small rectangular stamps with lines, straight or curved, in the corners.

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The first of the small rectangular designs, with straight lines in the corners appeared in 1878, not long after the large rectangular SG 5s. All these (SG 9-13 and 15-16) except SG 14 had a small comma-like letter in the upper right of the central oval:



The first values were a ¼ Anna, imperf



SG 6, and the perf version



SG 7 Neither of these ¼ Annas had any spelling errors, but the accompanying ½ Anna



SG 8 had three of them, including 'NWAB' for 'NAWAB':



SG 8b

This stamp also appeared in brown, from the same stone, and with the same spelling errors, including



SG 9a 'JAHN' for 'JAHAN'

Characteristics: Comma in upper right side of central oval; SG 6-7 have the value in brackets:



The same two values were issued in this design again in 1880, again both imperf and perf:



SG 10 and



SG 10a The error 'NAWA' for 'NAWAB'



SG 11

I don't have an example of the perf ¼ Anna, but here is the perf ½ Anna:



SG 13

Characteristics: The ¼ Annas do not have the value in brackets; the ½ anna is a brown-red, as distinct from the red and brown shades of SG 8 and 9

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

Another ¼ Anna appeared in 1884:



SG 14, and with only one spelling error:



SG 14a 'ANAWAB for 'NAWAB'

Characteristics: Large English lettering; slanting dash



instead of the 'comma' in top right corner

The ¼ Anna was reissued again in 1895, this time in red, the colour of the ½ Anna, both perf (fairly common) and perf (rare) on laid paper. Here is the common imperf type:



SG 15

Characteristics: Laid paper

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The small rectangular types also appeared with curved - instead of straight - lines in the corners.

The first appeared in 1884, and is quite scarce:



SG 48 (Apologies for the image: it's the only copy I have )

Characteristics: The only perforated type with the curved lines in the corners

A somewhat similar stamp was issued in 1896, but imperf and on laid paper, and with connecting frame lines around the stamps:



SG 49

Characteristics: Laid paper, imperf

Three more ¼ Annas were issued in this type of design, between 1896 and 1901.



SG 76

Characteristics: Many, thin lines in the corners; fine lettering; thin paper



SG 77

Characteristics: Few, thick lines in the corners; heavy, clumsy lettering; thin paper

There is also a reprint of SG 77 on thick paper, but I don't have it - yet

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

I've discussed the small rectangular designs with letters in the corners previously (http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=34831&p=2566683), but for completeness, I'll run through them again here.

This type first appeared in 1884, in ¼ and ½ Anna values, imperf and perf. The same stone was used for both values, with only the value being altered, so that the same spelling errors appear on all four stamps.



SG 50 As this imperf stamp is the only expensive one of the four, it would ideally be collected in pairs. However, as the harrow perforating device used for these stamps left almost no full margins between stamps, singles like this that show at least some margin can be acceptable.



SG 51 The common perforated version, and the two versions of the ½ Anna:



SG 52 and



SG 53

Here are the three spelling errors that are found on all four stamps:



SG 53a - 'NWAB' for 'NAWAB'



SG 53b - 'SAH' for 'SHAH', and



SG 53c - 'NAWA' and 'JANAN' for 'NAWAB' and 'JAHAN'

Characteristics: These were the only stamps of this type printed on laid paper

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

In 1886, the ¼ Anna was issued in varying shades of green, again perf and imperf, and the ½ Anna in red.



SG 54 There were six stamps showing five spelling errors in the sheet of 32:



SG 54a - 'NAWA' for 'NAWAB'



SG 54b - 'NWAB' for 'NAWAB'



SG 54c - 'NWABA' for 'NAWAB'



SG 54d - 'NAWAA' for 'NAWAB', and



SG 54e - 'NWABA' and 'BEGAAM' for 'NAWAB' and 'BEGAM'

The perforated version



SG 55 shows the same errors. The ½ Anna:



SG 56

Characteristics: Wove paper; the 'N' of 'NAWAB' is always reversed'. SG 50 to 58 show a slanting dash in the upper right corner of the inner circle:

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The ¼ Anna was issued again, another two years later, both perf and imperf:



SG 57 and the perf version:



SG 58

Characteristics: These were on wove paper, and have the slanting dash at top right, but always have the 'N' of 'NAWAB' correct (not reversed)

The ½ Anna was issued again in 1891, with all stamps in the sheet lettered 'NWAB':



SG 59 and the perf version:



Characteristics: All lettered 'NWAB'; 'comma' in place of the dash at top right:

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The next printing of the ¼ Anna green is quite distinctive: it has a clear 'G' insread of 'C' in the bottom left corner



SG 61, and the perf version



There is an interesting variety on stamp 1/Row 1 of both the perf and imperf types: the value (at the bottom of the oval) is in brackets:



SG 62b I apologise for the quality of the image, and the damaged stamp, but it is in a strip on cover

Characteristics: 'G' for 'C' at bottom left; neither the dash nor the comma at top right in the oval

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

Gibbons classifies the next (1898) issue as a new Type (T16): its most obvious distinguishing feature is the full stops after the 'H's.

It comes in a range of shades. Gibbons classifies them as 'bright green' and 'pale green', but I've never been quite sure which is which:



SG 63 and 64

There's also just one spelling error: 'SHAN' for 'SHAH':



SG 63a

The stamp was also printed in black, and also with the 'SHAN' error:



SG 65 and



SG 65a

Characteristics: Stops after 'H's; the line down the centre starts under the first H of SHAH



or between 'HA'

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The last outing of the letters in corners designs was a reversion to the previous types, without stops after 'HH'. Although it's a ½ Anna black, you're not likely to confuse it with any of the predecessors. Either the printer's apprentice did it as his first solo effort, before being persuaded to take up another trade, or the printer had had a rough night the night before:



SG 66

It comes in sheets of 32, with 11 stamps showing spelling errors. By bad luck, I can't show any of them

Characteristics: Very shakey lettering; streaky prints. 'Comma' at top right again

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

Around this point, my Bhopal collection becomes even more spotty. I'd be delighted if other members could help plug the gaps

The first 8 Anna stamp appeared in 1890, in a quite distinctive design, although obviously from the same family as the preceding small rectangular types.

Four variants exist: slate-green on wove paper, imperf and perf, and green-black on laid paper imperf and perf. None of them are very common, and clever forgeries exist. (I don't have one, but I've seen them offered on eBay.)

Here is



SG 68, the perf on wove paper variant. There were also some spelling errors. The same errors occur on all four variants, showing that all were printed from the same stone. Here is the 'HAH' for 'SHAH' error



SG 68a

Characteristics: Single outer frame line around each stamp

A second type was issued in 1893. Just as the other 8 Annas of this type are probably a little undervalued in Gibbons, the imperf below is probably a little overvalued. Again, these stamps occur on wove paper (common) and laid paper (scarce).



SG 71 (imperf) and



SG 72 (perf - most of the holes are blind, but they are there )

Characteristics: No frame line around the stamps, but a frame line around the sheet. As the sheets were of 10 (5x2), each stamp on the sheet can potentially show frame line on at least one side.

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The last printing of the 8 Anna appeared in 1898, and it bears a family resemblance to the dreadful last ¼ Anna of 1899 (SG 77).



SG 75

Characteristics: The whole design is very shaky and poorly drawn. Single outer frame line to sheet

The old ruler died in 1901, the same year as her great friend Queen Victoria, and was succeeded by her daughter Sultan Jahan Begam. A new set of stamps was issued for her, but for no very obvious reason, the old 8 Anna of 1893 was issued in 1903, overprinted with a Persian 'S', the initial of the new ruler.

Two types of the 'S' overprint exist, but Gibbons doesn't separate them:



SG 99 - short 'S' and



SG 99 - long 'S'

Here are close-up scans of the two letters:



Short 'S' and



Long 'S'

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

New designs were released in 1902 for the new ruler. They first appeared with the octagonal embossing used on her mother's stamps, but they were re-released in 1903 with a new circular embossing for the daughter. The types with the first embossing are much scarcer. As my collection of these is also pretty thin, I'll show the second embossing types - as far as I can



SG 90 - ¼ Anna This value occurs in a range of shades in both embossing types, and on laid paper with the circular embossing



SG 90a - ½ Anna This is the laid paper version. The ¼, ½ and 1 Anna stamps with the second embossing are more common on laid paper. The other values of the set are much scarcer on laid.



SG 93 - 1 Anna Gibbons recognises 'brown' and 'red-brown' shades with both types of embossing



SG 94 - 2 Annas



SG 96 - 4 Annas Gibbons lists an orange variant as well. This example show the new embossing very clearly.



SG 97 - 8 Annas

There was also a 1 Rupee value, in shades very similar to those of the ¼ Anna. I can't show a 1 Rupee - they're quite scarce with either embossing type - but here is a close-up of the ¼ Anna value



Rose-coloured stamps with this value (below the central oval) are ¼ Anna values, not 1 Rupee stamps unfortunately

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

The last officially recognised issue of Bhopal while its post office was open to the general public was recess printed by Perkins, Bacon, and released in 1908 - the year the State PO was restricted to official mail only:



SG 100

There was an interesting error: printed on the gummed side



SG 100a For obvious reasons, only collected mint, or possibly on cover

However, after the State Post Office was closed to the public, and these issues became obsolete, demand continued from collectors. Bhopal was happy to oblige, and produced an extensive list of reprints and imitations. Most of these had the new circular embossing.

Any of the large rectangular types with the circular embossing is a reprint or imitation. Any other type which can't be matched to a type in the main catalogue listings is also a reprint or imitation. Any stamp which appears impossible for other reasons, such as the perforations, is a reprint or imitation. Gibbons once listed and priced these; my 1941 Part 1 still has them.

Here is an example of a reprint, with the circular embossing:



An imitation of an earlier type, again with the circular embossing



And some quite impossibly good perforations on what vaguely resembles SG 49



The Bhopal Handbook notes that some of the stamps classified as imitations etc may actually have seen genuine postal service, and that some specialists regard them as legitimate issues. In that context, this cover postmarked the equivalent of 1910 and bearing one of the imitations



is certainly thought-provoking

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu

A couple more imitations, which certainly look as if they've passed through the mails:



Similar to SG 76, but with the circular embossing, and



also similar to SG 76, but - obviously - in green, and another ¼ Anna similar to that on my cover in the previous post:



These all came from a group of similar but catalogued items all on pieces, and all dated the equivalent of around 1907 CE.

Taken together with the existing doubts about the 'imitation' status of these Gibbons Type 18 stamps, I think we can conclude that these were regularly used and accepted for postage by the Bhopal Post Office.

_________________
'First I'll steal all the money, then I'll kill everybody, and then I'll go away', Père Ubu