Rare and Valuable World Stamps

 

The first postage stamp came into existence in 1840, known as the Penny Black stamp and stamp collecting began almost immediately after the issue of the first adhesive stamp. The first stamp albums appeared in the 1860s when worldwide collecting was still a very small endeavour. It took almost two and a half decades to come up with a term for this new hobby. Coined in 1865 by Georges Herpin, ''Philately'' was adopted as a term for the studying of stamps and stamp collecting. The word ''Philately'' is the English version of the French word ''philatelie'', coined by Georges Herpin in 1864. He took the Greek root word ''phil'' or ''philo'', meaning ''an attraction or affinity for something'' and ''ateleia'' meaning ''exempt from duties and taxes'' to form ''philalelie''. This hobby can be as inexpensive and expensive as one desires. 

                     

1856, British Guiana 1c magenta

                        

This hobby has developed over the years. Apart from learning about the larger world, stamp collection for the purpose of returns and investment is fairly modern. Ever since nations began to regulate and standardize the post, there have been people collecting expensive stamps. 

What makes a stamp valuable. Typically, what makes the stamps valuable is determined by four elements,

Centering. Assessing the centering is the first step in evaluating a stamp. Stamps with nearly equal margins are considered more visually appealing, and thus sell for more. The design should be balanced in relation to other parts pf the stamp such as the margins and vignette.

Condition. The condition of the stamp is one of the most important factors when determining the value. Expert collectors understand that perforations missing, faded colour, paper flacks and other imperfections greatly diminish stamp value. Stamps are generally graded on a scale such as Superb, Very Fine, Fine and Good.  Anything below good isn't worth acquiring. The stamps value decreases depending on the number of tears, creases, fading and other aesthetic issues that are present.

Gum. Stamp gum is glue found on the backside of the stamp. The highest valued stamps have perfect gum that is still original, undamaged and in the same state as when it left the post office. This is often referred to as ''mint, never hinged''. Generally, the following condition describe the grade of the stamp's gum

        Mint. Stamps with full, undamaged original gum, as             sold by the post office.

        Unused. Stamps whose original gum has been                     damaged, often through the use of stamp hinges.

        Unused without gum. Stamps that have lost their                 original gum.

Rareness. There are various factors that determine the rareness of a stamp, which often require a philatelist and expert opinion. Stamps that have errors in printing, content and perforation are considered rare, as are those limited-issue stamps where only a small number exists.

Most valuable stamps of the world.  

British Guiana One Cent Black on Magenta. This is the world's rarest and most famous and valuable stamp. There is only one left in the world, which is exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum. It has historic value. The story goes like this. At the time, all the colonies had to wait for stamps to arrive from the UK. The boat was delayed, and the postmaster created his own collection of stamps and carries his signature. The British Guiana 1c Magenta (1856), which has been described as ''the Mona Lisa of the stamp world'' was bought for 8.3 million dollars in the year 2021. 

                       

1856, British Guiana 1c magenta.
 

The Penny Black. This was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. Issued by Great Britain on 01 May 1840, the stamp bears a portrait of Queen Victoria. Only two stamps of the early issue can be found now, and these are regarded as real treasure. 

                       

1840, Great Britain, Black Penny.

Penny Red. Succeeded penny Black and continued as the main type of postage stamp in the United Kingdom. The colour was changed from black to red because of difficulty of seeing a cancellation mark on the Black Penny. Theses stamps are rare. The early series Red Penny was sold by Stanley Gibbons for 550 thousand Pounds.

                       

 

1841, Great Britain, Red Penny.

The 1 cent Benjamin Franklin Z Grill is one of the most valuable stamps of America. The reason behind the rarity is ''Z Grill'' embossing on it. A grill is an embossed pattern on the face of a stamp to prevent its reuse. The US Postal Service used several types of grills in the early days of the office as they experimented with the best methods to stop fraud. Only two Benjamin Franklin Z Grill stamps are known to survive. This stamp was last sold for $935,000 in 1998. The price in 2005 was $2,9,70,000

                        

1868, 1 cent, Benjamin Franklin Z Grill.

24 c Declaration of Independence, is a rare example of a collector's stamp that is highly sought after, simply because it is a work of art. This stamp features a highly detailed, two tone rendering of John Trumbull's famous painting of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress. There are 42 individual figures depicted on the stamp. This stamp is worth $ 625,000.

                             

1869, 24 c, Declaration of Independence.

Tama 6 Yo Stamp of Japan is one of the rarities of the orient world. The stamp is legendary in Japan and is called ''Tama 6 yo". It is a 6 SEN of Cherry Blossom issue from 1875 in orange- brown colour. Before this find, only 6 other copies were known. This Japanese stamp's catalog value is 336,900 dollars and was sold by the Postiljonen Jubilee Auction for 124,635 dollars in Sweden. All the existing stamps are owned by great Japanese collectors.

                         

      1875, 6 Sen, Japan
 

The Tiflis Unica is one of the oldest stamps of its kind. Printed in the year 1857, the Tiflis Unica was issued in the Russian Empire (in modern Georgia) for the city post in Tiflis (now Tbillisi) and Kojori in 1857. These stamps today are known as Tiflis Unica stamps. There are currently only five known surviving stamps. Russian collectors are willing to pay a lot of money for these rare stamps. One of these was sold at the David Feldman auction for $700,000 in the year 2008.  

                           

1857, Tifflis Unica of Russia.
  

Women Empowerment in Ancient India

 

The ancient Indian texts are full of references to justify the contribution of women to society. Indian coinage gives ample examples of women empowerment as a joint or independent ruler. There are many queens whose names are inscribed on coins like Queen Naganika, Druvadevi, Sungandha Devi to Chennabahira Devi and Nurjana who were legendary women and have left their mark in history. Let's have a look at this part of Indian history through coins. These legendary women proved that they were as equal to their counterparts, and they were able and strong leaders

                         

Straton I and Agathocleia, 110-100 BC, Tetradrachm in Indian weight standards, 9.8 gm, diameter, 26 mm.

 

Queen Naganika/ Nayanika. She is known to be the first Indian Queen to have issued coins in her name in the 1st century BC. She was the wife of Satakari I who was a renowned ruler of Satavahana dynasty. The Satavahana capital was Pratishthana (modern Paithan in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra). She is also considered as the first person in history to have her name associated with a king on Indian coins. The evidence of such a coin is seen in the inscription of Nanaghat near Junnar, which records sacrifices (Asvamedha) celebrated with donations through coins (Karsapanas) in 30 BC. The base metal for these coins was supplied by the Roman Empire, through trade. The inscription mentions a guild of barriers, and that the king had to melt down the silver Roman coins and minted the Karsapnas in Junnar.

                         

Queen Nayanika/Naganika, Satkarni I, Satavahana, 1st century BC, name Naganika written in Brahmi script.

                            

The Naneghat inscription, one of the oldest historical documents of western India. 

Another speciality of the Satavahana Kings is that they used their mother's name in their initials. For example, Gotamiputra Satakari, Vasisthiputra Satakarni, Kochiputra Satakari. These names are found on both coins and inscriptions. This practice shows the status of women during that time.

Queen Agathokleia. An Indo-Greek queen who ruled northern India around the 2nd century BC (135-125 BC). She was the first woman to rule the Hellenistic Kingdom as a regent for her son king Strato I. She issued gold, silver, copper and bronze coins during her reign. Most of her coins are joint issues with her son Strato I. On coins she seems to associate herself with Athena, the Goddess of war. The coins were mostly bilingual, in Greek and Kharosthi.                          

Straton I and Agathocleia, 110-100 BC, Tetradrachm, weight 9.8 gm, diameter 26 mm, Obverse: draped busts of Straton and Agathokleia with diadems, Reverse: Athena with shield and bundle of lightening, below monogram. 

Queen Kalliope. Another Indo-Greek queen is Calliope. She was the wife of King Hermaeus of Eucratid dynasty, who ruled in the Hindu Kush region around 90 BC. The capital was near today's Kabul, Afghanistan. A silver Drachma depicts the conjoined bust of both king and queen depicting her power as the joint sovereign over the kingdom. Kalliope and Hermaeus jointly issued silver, Indian Standard Drachms.

                         

Hermaios and Calliope, silver Drachm, weight 2.2 gm, Obverse: Diademed busts of king and queen, Greek legend around, Reverse: helmeted king mounted on horse right, Kharosthi legend around. 

Queen Dhruvadevi. She was Chandragupta II's (reigned 375-414 AD) wife. Chandragupta II was also referred to as Vikramaditya. The Iron Pillar in Delhi was erected by him. She was an intelligent and brave woman, who was earlier married to Chandragupta's brother, Ramagupta, but as he was a weak ruler, he agreed to hand her over to the enemy king to save his own life. She quoted a sentence of Arathashatra,  that a man who is dead, unfit, coward, left for an unknown destination or who put his wife in danger, then the woman can leave her husband and remarry. The brave queen's name was beautifully depicted on the lead coins issued by King Chandragupta II as a joint issue. 

Queen Sugandha Devi. Known as the first known woman ruler of Kashmir, she left a benchmark for many to be queens of Kashmir. She was from the Utapala dynasty, and her reign lasted for a decade from 905 AD, first as a regent and later as a sole ruler for three years. According to Rajataragini she was overthrown and executed by her courtiers. The coins issued by her were inscribed with her name as ''Sri Sugandhadeva'' instead of Devi.

                          

Kashmir, Utpala dynasty, copper dinar Sugandha Rani, 904-906 AD, weight 6.2 gm, Obverse: Seated goddess, Sarada letter Shri to left and Sugandha to right, Reverse: King standing facing left, sacrificing over altar, Sarada letter Verma below his arm

Queen Somala Devi (1110-1125 AD). The queen of the Chauhan dynasty, she was also known as Somalekha Devi. Her name appeared on coins as the joint ruler with her husband King Ayaja Raja and later as the sole ruler. There are many different copper coins. Even after her death, she appeared on later coinage, showing her popularity and authority.

                               

Chauhan dynasty, 1110-1125 AD, Jital, copper, Obverse: Horseman riding to right, Reverse: Nagari legend in two lines, Shri Soma/la Devi, edge plain. 

Queen Rudrama Devi. The Kakatiya queen of Warangal, she ruled the southern Deccan around 1262 to 1289 AD. She acquired the title of her father King Ganapatideva after her victory over the Yadava king of Devagiri. She was succeeded by her grandson, King Pratapadeva, thus we can say the throne was passed on twice through a female ruler. She issued gold pagoda in her name. In fact, all the gold pagodas and dadyana coins of the Kakaitya dynasty that had the Boar (Varaha) symbol and epithet ending with ''Kesari'' were called Kesari Vahara.

                            

Kakatiyas of Warangal, Rudramadevi, gold Gadyana, weight 3.7 gm, diameter 17.8 mm, Obverse: Man riding on horse facing right as a central punch with four symbols of bull, Kannada letter Sri twice and Telugu legend,'' Mandani Manda'', uniface.

Queen Didda. The wisest and powerful queen of Kashmir, Didda Rani's reign is a representation of the woman power in India. In Rajatarangini, she is portrayed as a ruthless, immoral and evil ruler, but this literature source was documented after a century of her reign. She was an intelligent and influential queen of the Parvagupta dynasty. Her first illustration on a coin came as a joint ruler with her husband, King Kshemagupta as ''Di'' (dda) Kshemagupta Deva. After the death of her husband, she also acted as a regent queen in her son's name. After her son's death, she became regent for her grandson, but due to mysterious circumstances, even he died. At this point, she ascended the throne and issued coins in her name as ''Sri Didda''. She ruled for 22 years.

                          

Didda Rani, 979-1003 AD, bronze, weight 6 gm, diameter 18 mm, Obverse: Goddess seated, lettering Sho Didda, Reverse: Goddess standing, edge plain.

Queen Managammal. She was the queen of the Chokkanatha Nayak of Madurai. She is known for her contribution to the development of infrastructure. She ruled as a regent for her grandson Vijayaranga Chokkanatha. Her diplomacy helped in maintaining good relationship with the neighbouring powers. She established a state policy which was liberal towards all religions. She is also famous as a road maker and ruled from 1689 to 1704 AD. 

                         

Madurai Nayakas, Rani Mangamma, 1689-1706 AD, copper, weight 2.4 gm, Obverse: Standing Narasima with shan  ka and chakra in both hands, Reverse: Sri Mangamma in chequered box

 

Ducats and India

 

The Venetian Ducats were gold and silver coins that gained international acceptance for trade between Europe and Asia from the 14th century AD to the 18th century AD. Venice was an independent state and by the 13th century had the control of trade throughout the Mediterranean. 

                         

The Gold Ducat from Venice, dating back to 1342-54 AD, depicts St. Mark presenting a banner to the kneeling Doge Andrea Dandolo.

 

The design of the gold Venetian ducat remained unchanged for 700 years, from its introduction in 1284 AD to the Napoleon takeover in 1797. No other coin design was struck over such a long period. The popularity of the ducats soon spread to the Middle East, India, Egypt and Africa. The specification of the coin was the same, 3.5 gm of 0.986 gold with a 21mm diameter.

                      

Italy, Venice, Alvise Contarini, 1676-84 AD, gold ducat, weight 3.5 gm, Obverse: The Doge kneeling before St. Mark, Reverse: Christ standing within mandorla.

The trade routes to India passed through the Ottoman Empire via Constantinople or through Egypt via Alexandria. Traders used the ports of Western and Southern India in places such as Muziris in Kerala and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The Venetian ducats were in great demand in medieval Kerela. The Indian rulers purchased these coins as gifts for priests and scholars. As these coins bore the figure of St Mark, they were regarded sacred objects by the Syrian Christians of Kerela. Many ladies wore necklaces made of Venetian coins.

                         

Paolo Ranieri, Gold Ducat, 1779-1789 AD, circulated in Ceylon by the name of 120 stuivers, or Vilisiyanu Kasi, formed part of Kandyan king's treasury in 1815. weight 4.49 gm, Obverse: Doge receiving the gonfalon at the hands of Saint Mark, legend alongside the legends, S.M.VENET on left PAVL,RAINER on the right, Reverse: Christ in glory facing right with right hand bent in mandoria with 16 stars with five points in the inner periphery. Legend SIT.T.XPE.DAT.Q.TV.REGIS.ISTE.DVCA along the periphery.

Venetian gold coins are found from many places in India. In 1981, the Directorate of Archaeology & Museums in Karnataka obtained a hoard containing 39 Venetian Ducats from 1339 AD to 1423 AD. 

Because of its consistency and recognition, the ducats were used in jewellery. The ducats were called ''Putali'' or ''Potli''. The local imitations later had images of Radha and Krishna or Ram and Sita/Lakshman. in Mangalore and Malabar. Many ducats are found with holes or have extensions through which they were strung. In South India, putalis are called sanar kasu. 

                                                 

Handmade dies and striking of Putali. (Photographs by E.Smagur. 

                         

Indian woman wearing Putali necklace, (Indian Numismatic, Historical and Cultural Research Foundation, Nashik.)

 

The traditional use of Putalis is still practiced in Maharashtra specially in Nashik.  

First ever Image of Buddha on Coins (Kanishka I, 128-150 AD)

 

Deities are worshipped in various forms from time immemorial. Beliefs and reverence for supernatural powers have driven humans to worship many forms. These deities are found depicted on Indus Valley Seals, on walls of ancient ruins, and at places of worship. After the advent of coins, deities were depicted on coins of Greece, Rome and on Janapada coins of India.

                        

Gold Dinar from the Kushan period, issued by Kanishka I between 128-150 AD, depicts the Buddha standing and facing forward. His left hand holds his robe, while his right hand is in the Abhaya Mudra, signifying 'have no fear'. To the left is a Bactrian legend, and to the right, a tamgha symbol.

Boddo or Buddha founder of the new philosophic thought in India on whose teachings Buddhism was founded is depicted on coins of Kanishka I. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in eastern part of the Indian subcontinent somewhere between the 6th and 4th century BC.

The iconic imagery of Gautam Buddha was introduced during the Kushan rule and developed with the Gandhara style of art under this dynasty. The image of Buddha on Kanishka i coins with all the aesthetic features of Buddha, like the head bun, the sanghati (the over a cloth) and long ear lobes.

The coins of Kanishka I have other avatars (incarnations) of Buddha depicted on them. According to Mahayana traditions, Buddha was not only Buddha, but Mahayana Buddhism also considers Shakyamuni Buddha to be the first Buddha, Maitreya Buddha is the future incarnation of Buddha according to the Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. Kanishka I's coins also portray him on them.

The coin below is a gold Dinar coin of Kanishka which depicts a crowned diademed king standing facing with Bactrian legend around. The reverse depicts Buddha standing facing, left hand holding robe, right hand in Abhaya mudra, with Bactrian legend around. This is probably the earliest representation of Buddha. 

                       

Gold Dinar, Kushan, Kanishka I, 128-150 AD, weight 7.9 gm, Obverse: Diademed head of king facing, holding spear and sacrificing at altar at left, Bactrian legend around, Reverse: The Buddha standing facing, left hand holding robe, right hand in Abhya Mudra, ''have no fear'', Bactrian legend left, tamgha at right.

                         

AE Didrachm, or 1/2-unit, 128-150 AD, Bronze, weight 8.4 gm, Obverse: Diademed king standing facing, holding spear and sacrificing at altar at left, Bactrian legend around, Reverse: Sakyamuni Buddha standing facing, left hand holding robe, right hand in Abhayamudra, ''have no fear'', Bactrian legend at left and right.  

                         

AE, tetradrachm, 128-150 AD, Bronze, weight 16.2 gm, Obverse: Diademed head king standing facing, holding spear and sacrificing at altar to left, Bactrian legend around, Reverse: Maitreya Buddha seated facing on a meditating platform, Bactrian legend around, no tamgha.