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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

INDIAN STATES, SIRMOOR

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Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

 

1879 Inscription 'SIRMOOR STATE POSTAGE STAMP'

Without border

  1/4 a green
  1/4 a blue

With border (1892)


Genuine, image obtained from: http://www.princelystates.com/CurrentIssue/ff-04-01d.shtml 

  1/4 a green
  1/4 a blue

Value of the stamps

 
vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
 
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
Value Unused Used Remarks
Without border
1/4 a green ** **  
1/4 a blue ** **  
With border
1/4 a green c * Two shades of green were issued
yellowish green and bluish green.
1/4 a blue * *  

The stamps with border were initially intended to be reprints for collectors (where the perforation was printed at the same time!). When the demand was not as much as anticipated, the reprints were used as normal stamps. Since the original printing stones were no longer available, an image from a stamp dealer's catalogue was used (hence the printed perforations).

A 'cancelled to order' cancel exists consisting of a pattern of lines with an 'S' inside it was used on remainders if my information is correct.


Four different kinds of 'S' cancels.


I've seen this cancel 'SIRMOOR STATE 7 JA 02 NAHAN' on other stamps as well....

Forgeries with the border (see above mentioned website for more details).


Left genuine, right forgery, images obtained from: http://www.princelystates.com/CurrentIssue/ff-04-01d.shtml


Forgery, is this a modern reproduction?


Another forgery with different lettering. The 'printed perforation' has not been done consistently. Also note the leaf patterns at both sides of the Hindi inscription. I've seen it in both blue and green.


Strange items, vertical sheetlets of 5 stamps, the artificial perforation is different from the genuine stamps. The lettering is also different (even within the forgeries themselves!).

 

1885 Head in ellipse

  3 p brown
  3 p orange
  6 p green
  1 a blue
  2 a red

Value of the stamps

 
vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
 
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
Value Unused Used Remarks
3 p brown c c  
3 p orange c c 1888
6 p c c  
1 a c *  
2 a * *  

These stamps exist with overprint 'On S S S' to be used as official stamps (many different types of this overprint exist):

 

1894 Elephant

  3 p orange
  6 p green
  1 a blue
  2 a red
  3 a green
  4 a green
  8 a blue
  1 R red

Value of the stamps

 
vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
 
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
Value Unused Used Remarks
3 p c *  
6 p c c  
1 a c *  
2 a c *  
3 a * *  
4 a * *  
8 a ** **  
1 R ** **  

The values 3 p, 6 p and 2 a exist with unofficial overprint "On S.S.S." (even several types seem to exist):


Unofficial overprints "On S.S.S." (the second stamp has an inverted "S".

 

1899 King in ellipse, slightly different design from 1885 issue

  3 a green
  4 a green
  8 a blue
  1 R red

Value of the stamps

 
vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
 
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
Value Unused Used Remarks
3 a * *  
4 a * *  
8 a * *  
1 R ** **  

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer