Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

PORTUGUESE INDIA First primitive issues

India Portugueza

Return To Catalogue - Crown issue - 1886-1913 - 1914 onwards and miscellaneous - Portugal

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 the catalogue.

Currency: 1000 Reis = 1 Milreis, from 1882 on: 12 Reis = 1 Tanga, 16 Tanga = 1 Rupie

1871 Inscription "SERVICO POSTAL INDIA PORT"

10 r black With small 'S' and 'R' 15 r red, with star above value 40 r blue Certified genuine

20 r red 20 r red with star 40 r blue
(Reduced sizes)

  1 1/2 r black (1883)
  4 1/2 r olive (1883)
  6 r green (1883)
  10 r black
  15 r red (1875)
  20 r red
  40 r blue
  100 r green
  200 r yellow
  300 r lilac
  600 r lilac
  900 r lilac

For the specialist:
The values 10 r, 15, 20, 40, 100, 200, 300, 600 and 900 r exist in several types:
1) with a star above the value and normal "SERVICO"
2) with "S" and "R" smaller than the other letters of "SERVICO" (no star above value), the 15 r does not exist in this type
3) with normal letters in "SERVICO" and no star above value.
The values 1 1/2 r, 4 1/2 r and 6 r were only issued in 1883.

Surcharged

'4 1/2' on 40 r blue '5' on 10 r

(1 1/2 on 20 r reduced size)

  '1 1/2' on 10 r black
  '1 1/2' on 20 r red
  '4 1/2' on 40 r blue
  '4 1/2' on 100 r green
  '5' (red) on 10 r black
  '5' on 15 r red
  '5' on 20 r red
  '5' on 100 r green
  '6' on 100 r green
  '6' on 200 r yellow

These stamps exist with various perforations and printed on yellowish or bluish paper.

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
Large value numbers, 33 lines in the background, "S" and "R" of "SERVICO" small
10 r	RR	RR
20 r	***	***
40 r	RRR	RRR
100 r	RRR	RRR
200 r	RRR	RRR
300 r	RR	RR
600 r	RR	RR
900 r	RR	RR
Large value numbers, 44 lines in the background, "S" and "R" of "SERVICO" same size, the word "REIS" different
10 r	***	***
20 r	***	***
40 r	***	***
100 r	R	R
200 r	RR	RR
300 r	RR	RR
600 r	RR	RR
900 r	RR	RR
Small value numbers, type I: "REIS" small, "V" of "SERVICO" is an inverted "A"
10 r	***	***	With normal 'V': ***
20 r	***	***	With normal 'V': RR
Small value numbers, type I: "REIS" larger
10 r	**	**	Exists with the inverted 'A' variety
15 r	**	***	Exists with the inverted 'A' variety
20 r	***	***	Exists with the inverted 'A' variety
40 r	***	***
100 r	R	R
200 r	RRR	RRR
300 r	RRR	RRR
600 r	RRR	RRR
900 r	RRR	RRR
With star above the value
1 1/2 r	*	*	Two subtypes: 'REIS' different, 'REIS' fat: ***
4 1/2 r	***	***
6 r	**	**	Two subtypes: 'REIS' different, 'REIS' fat: ***
10 r	***	***	Two subtypes: 'REIS' different
15 r	***	***
20 r	***	***
40 r	***	***
100 r	R	R
200 r	R	R
300 r	R	R
600 r	R	R
900 r	RR	RR
Surcharged
1 1/2 r on 10 r	RRR	RRR	Surcharge exists on 3 different types of stamps
1 1/2 r on 20 r	RR	RR	Surcharge exists on 4 different types of stamps
4 1/2 r on 40 r	***	***	Surcharge exists on 3 different types of stamps, some of them: RRR
4 1/2 r on 100 r	R	R	Surcharge exists on 3 different types of stamps, some of them: RRR
5 on 10 r	**	***	Surcharge exists on 6 different types of stamps; ** to RR
5 on 15 r	*	*
5 on 20 r	*	*	Surcharge exists on 3 different types of stamps
6 on 100 r	RRR	RRR
6 on 200 r	RRR	RRR

Cancels:

Bar-cancels with number or letter in the center.

Forgeries:

Examples:

Illustration in Stamp Collectors Magazine Scan from Le Timbre-Poste by Moens.
Two forgeries of the 10 r and 200 r value, apparently made by the same forger, there is a line in front of the word "SERVICO" which does not exist in the genuine stamps. Also the lettering is too big. I've seen the values 10 r black, 20 r orange, 40 r blue, 100 r green, 200 r yellow and 300 r lilac. Also shown here an illustration of The Stamp Collector's Magazine of 1872, Vol X page 72, which should describe the genuine stamp, but actually shows a forgery. The same image also appears in Moens' Le Timbre-Poste No112 on page 27. Again the same image appears in the catalogue of Placido Ramon de Torres "Album Illustrado para Sellos de Correo" of 1879, page 131, in a similar design (information passed to me thanks to Gerhard Lang, 2016).

Even 'proofs' without value exist of this forgery, here a block of 6 blue forgeries

Other forgery:

The above stamp is also a forgery, however, I don't know how to distinguish this forgery. Album Weeds says there should be a small dot just below the 'C' of 'SERVICO', which this stamp doesn't have. If I'm not mistkane this is one of the forgeries described at http://www.portugal.tabacaria.com.pt/Nativos/falso04.htm; The size of the stamp is too small and the letters are different.

'Le Timbre Poste' by Moens of May 1876 No 161, page 37 mentions some forgeries made by E.Treibmann of Dresden (2 different types). I have not been able to find any further information about these forgeries or this forger. I do not know if these forgeries are one of the above.

For stamps of Portuguese India in the Crown design, click here.

Websites

A very nice pdf document can be found at: http://www.caleida.pt/filatelia/fp/ebook/bfd001_p.pdf written by Joaquim Leote (in Portuguese); this award winning document describes the postal history of Portuguese India from pre-philatelic to the first issues. Another document can be found at: http://www.filatelicamente.online.pt/l001/l001_06i.html (same author).

Literature