mukulgarga wrote:peterh wrote:
Looks to be perf 11½, so possibly the basic stamp is not a reprint, however the overprint is likely to be an imitation printed vertically.
I am sure domburd will comment when he sees it.
domburd any comments about this one?
Mukulgarga, I see I was asked about this item a while ago, so many apologies for not getting back to you sooner.
First of all, peterh is right that the stamp is perfectly ok, the colour is right and, as as far as I can ascertain, the perfs are spot on too. The problem is all with the overprint. As a rule of thumb it is wise to follow Gibbons' note underneath SGO3, "Imitations of these overprints on genuine stamps and on reprints are found horizontally or vertically in various shades of red, in magenta and in black." In my view this includes diagonal impressions as well.
This direction should cover about 99.9% of all examples, HOWEVER, there are a few exceptions to the rule when you start digging deeper and begin reading the articles written by L E Dawson on the subject, the last of which appeared in the PJI in July 1946 (It is best to ignore Nayeem in this instance as he only appears to address stamps that were plate printed. He then also fails to point out that his Fig. O1, Fig. O1a and Fig. O2 on page 207 of his book were, in fact, handstamped!).
A glance at his second article, in 1939, gives us probably the best clue in identifying your stamp. Confusingly, Dawson's second and third articles use different numbering systems for the overprints and your overprint most resembles his
overprint (viii) (1939) and
Type B (1946)
In his second article, Dawson clearly states of the above overprint, "...all specimens with it are to be condemned." This is also the only time he mentions diagonal overprints. No mention of them is made in the 1946 article. Only the occasional inverted overprint and one or two vertical overprints seem to pass muster with Dawson.
In my own collection I have numerous copies of vertical and diagonal handstamps and as a rule I always consign them to the Reprints and Forgeries folder
unless Dawson specifically states to the contrary. I even have examples of the above overprint with seemingly genuine cancellations which must have been applied with unscrupulous intent like this...
Even examples on cover, which I fail to possess, have to be treated carefully with respect to how the stamp is 'tied' to the cover.
So, all in all, welcome to the headache that is The Handstamped Sarkari Overprints of Hyderabad. Alas, it seems your stamp is, at best, a reprint and, at worst (and most probably), a forgery. Sorry I could not have been the bringer of better news.
