A Duttia State Postcard - If Only ...

Just received this Duttia State postal stationery card, from 1897 (Higgins & Gage 2, for those who care about such things)





Now, if only it had been properly postmarked ...

It has been pointed out to me that it's addressed to the Postmaster (I gave up on trying to read the handwriting in the address ), so maybe it was felt there wasn't any need.

I see a blue-gray marking of some kind on the front of the postal card. What did that signify?

Smauggie, that was the official seal. It was applied to all postage stamps before issue. Here is a sheet of SG 28 (the 1912 ½ Anna), showing the seal:



It was also applied to all postal stationery, below the indicium for some reason, as you can see on the postcard. Here is a cutout from a ½ Anna postal stationery envelope



showing the same thing (and which I should post in Rod's Mutilated thread).

Occasional stamps escaped without the seal, and are worth big bucks. I still remember the palpitations that cutout caused when I first set eyes on it. There is a ½ Anna green stamp, SG 30a of 1916, known without the seal, and catalogued at £1400 used but unpriced mint. It's printed on wove paper, whereas the envelope used laid paper. It only took a few moments to work out what I had.

I'm a dealer and am breaking down a pretty nice collection of mint India and States. I have a Duttia item that is nearly identical to SG 30a piece pictured above, 1/2 Anna of 1916 with the seal just below the stamp. The one I have is on a thin laid paper, though, so does this mean for certain that it was cut from staionary? It also has an expertisers mark.

Welcome ATV! We ALWAYS need more folks who can read squiggly writing.

Thanks. I have some good eyes for squiggly reading but I'm a novice with Indian stamps and stationary.

ATV, it would help if you could post a scan. However, from your description - and particularly the paper - I'd say it's another cut-out, not the real thing. Duttia cut-outs are virtually worthless, unfortunately. Those who follow Duttia demand the complete item.

Thanks. A scan wouldn't really get us anywhere further because it looks nearly exactly like the above. So the stamps from the 1916 series were all on wove paper?

Duttia never printed any of its stamps on laid paper - only wove. Yours must be a cut-out also, unfortunately. Complete, these sell for well over a hundred dollars unused, and much more properly used.

Ok, thanks for the help. I'll likely encounter some more question marks continue through this collection.

I'll be happy to try to help with any other Indian States questions you have. I can't promise to have all the answers, though - particularly on Duttia. It's definitely a rich man's game. The first three stamps, ignoring 'a' numbers, are listed in Gibbons at £32,000 ...