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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

AFGHANISTAN 1874-1891

Return To Catalogue -Afghanistan 1879-1874 - Afghanistan 1892 onwards

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(Arabic numerals)

The Kingdom of Kabul (Aghanistan) first issued stamps in 1870. Early designs featured a tiger's head, symbolizing the name of Amir Sher (tiger) Ali. From 1870 to 1892 the date of the Muslim year also appears. Afghan stamps of the period were issued without gum and imperforate. When used, they were mostly cancelled by cutting or tearing a piece from the stamp. Before 1928, when Afghanistan joined the Universal Postal Union, Afghan stamps were valid only for use within the country itself. Mail traveling to other countries needed the addition of Indian stamps.

Afghanistan 1879-1874

1874/75 Stamps with no outer ornaments, tiger head with value inscribed in native text on top of the head, inscription year '1292'

Not sure if this stamp is genuine.

  1 Senar black
  1 Senar lilac
  1 Abasi black
  1 Abasi lilac

The lilac color has usually oxidized to brown.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forgery in color red.

1875/76 Tiger head, value in small white space at the bottom of the stamp (tablet stamps)

1875 issue (Arabic year 1293) with value indicated below in a shield. I'm not sure if these stamps are genuine.

  1 Shahi black
  1 Shahi lilac
  1 Senar black
  1 Senar lilac
  1 Abasi black
  1 Abasi lilac
  1/2 Rupee black
  1/2 Rupee lilac
  1 Rupee black
  1 Rupee lilac

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1875/76 Tigerhead with white circle around it, larger circle (24 mm diameter) with Arabic text surrounding the inner circle, different colors for Kabul (grey color), Mashir Sharif (black), Kandahar (green), Jelalabad (lilac) and Herat (yellowish brown). Whole stamp surrounded by rope-like structure, year '1293' added in design.

1 Shahi (written at bottom of the stamp), Kabul issue; just to the right of it the Arabic numbers '1293' can be seen (reading upwards).

1 Senar Kabul issue. The value 'Senar' can be found at the bottom, just to the right of it the Arabic numbers '1293' can be seen.

1 Abasi (written at bottom of stamp) Kabul issue with '1293' year inscription just right of the bottom part of the stamp

1/2 Rupee (written at bottom of stamp) Kabul issue, with '1293' in Arabic numerals, just right of the bottom part of the stamp

1 Rupee (written at the bottom of the stamp) Kabul issue with with '1293' in Arabic numerals, just right of the bottom part of the stamp

  1 Shahi
  1 Senar
  1 Abasi
  1/2 Rupee
  1 Rupee

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Typical cancel, piece torn off from stamp and red blotch of ink applied to rest of the stamp. According to Robert Jack http://www.afghanphilately.co.uk/22.html, this kind of obliteration was used in Peshawar.

Another cancel with somekind of seal. Also note the pen-dashes on the first stamp, that I've seen on many other stamps, these seem to tie the stamp to the envelope.

Forgery.

1876/77 Tigerhead with white circle around it in larger circle (19.5 mm diameter) with Arabic text surrounding the inner circle, different colors for Kabul (olive grey color), Mashir Sharif (black), Kandahar (grey green), Jelalabad (lilac) and Herat (yellowish brown), year '94' or '1294' included in the design. Whole stamp surrounded by white circle

1 Senar Kabul issue. The value 'Senar' can be found at the bottom, just to the right of it the Arabic numbers '94' can be seen.

1 Abasi (written at bottom of stamp) Kabul issue with '94' year inscription just right of the bottom part of the stamp

1/2 Rupee (written at bottom of stamp) Kabul issue, with '1294' in Arabic numerals, just right of the bottom part of the stamp

1 Rupee (written at the bottom of the stamp) Kabul issue with with '1294' in Arabic numerals, just right of the bottom part of the stamp

  1 Shahi
  1 Senar
  1 Abasi
  1/2 Rupee
  1 Rupee

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

The colors of these stamps differ substantially. For example, the olive-grey color comes in many shades.

Two different colors

Forgeries, note the lines cancel on the first forgery, which I have also seen on the other forgeries.

Other forgery with badly done tiger.

1878 Tigerhead without white circle around it in larger circle (19.5 mm diameter) with Arabic text surrounding the inner circle, different colors for Kabul (bluish grey color), Mashir Sharif (black), Kandahar (green), Jelalabad (lilac) and Herat (yellowish brown), year '1295' included in the design. Whole stamp surrounded by white circle

1 Shahi (written at bottom of the stamp)

1 Shahi (written at bottom of the stamp), second type, inscriptions thinner.

1 Senar (written at bottom of the stamp)

1 Abasi (written at bottom of stamp)

  1 Shahi (two types)
  1 Senar
  1 Abasi
  1/2 Rupee
  1 Rupee

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1880-90 With text instead of tiger in center, inscription '1298' in Arabic, with one number in the upper right, upper left, lower left and lower right, value in the center. Printed with water dissolvable ink

1 Abasi, the value inscription is in the inner circle

1 Abasi, 28 mm size with wider outer border.

2 Abasi, the value inscription is in the inner circle

1 Rupee, the value inscription is in the inner circle

The values 1 Abasi, 2 Abasi and 1 Rupee were issued in 1880 with the design measuring 26 mm. All three values were issued in violet, black, red and brown colour. For all these colours many colour varieties exist.
In 1883 all values were re-issued on coloured paper, also blue, green and orange stamps were issued (on coloured paper).
In 1890 the value 1 Abasi was re-issued in red, violet, brown, violet on yellow and brown, but in slightly larger size (28 mm).

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Typical cancels:

Most usual are pencancels are 'tearing off a piece of the stamp'.

Typical cancelling methods in different cities
Peshawar: tearing or cutting of a piece and applying a red mark
Kabul: tearing of a piece and applying a penstroke
Jalalabad: tearing of a piece and applying a blue mark (or cutting a hole)
Tashkurghan: tearing of a piece and applying a small seal-like cancel.

Probably forgeries printed on very thin paper (possibly made in India)

Other forgery.

Two forgeries with a 'CALCUTTA FEB 6' cancel

Possibly other forgeries with the same "CALCUTTA FEB 6" cancel

For Afghanistan, 1892 onwards, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer