Bhopal In The George VI Era

Are you sure Tony?

Looks like a respectable addition to a definitive set
to me.
I would have passed it, if I was Postmaster.

A large lot ascribed to him, banknotes etc $12,500
may be of interest
http://www.noble.com.au/auctions/lot/?id=261526

No accounting for tastes, Rodney ... De gustibus non disputandum as me old mum always used to say.

Interesting that, in the Spink Noble link, they call him Henry, although Gibbons give his initials as 'T.I.'. Might try later searching for him as 'Henry'.

When Archer signed his work,
his cursive T and I interlinked to form an "H"
I wonder if this is the genesis of his "Henry" ?

I tried Googling 'Henry Archer', but the only remotely probable references were the Spink Noble sale. I then tried every given name I could reasonably think of beginning with 'T', and came up with nothing either. The India Study Circle India Post archive index came up with one reference to him, in a Newsletter, which isn't included on the archive CD.

The man must have existed, but he's pretty damn' elusive.

Au Contrair, Tony,
I see him everywhere, or at least his evidence,
what I don't see, is reference to his life or work
history as a commentary.

I get better results with "T I Archer"
I'll post some essay works of his,
after all the gentlemen did some of the most famous stamps in
history, just about everyone knows the "archaeology" set of India
his stamps adorn every schoolkids album ever used I would think.

Perhaps also, try using the text string "I M Das" whom he appeared to have
collaborated with on the Independence (or better known
as the "archaeology" set) ?

I should have been clearer, of course. His work is everywhere - in the Indian States, as well, in Hyderabad



(1945 Victory commemorative)



(1947 definitives)

and Jaipur



(1931 Investiture commemoratives)

- but the man (or woman?) behind the designs seems to be a mystery.

Well, if the India Study group is of no help,
then we are really up the creek.

His designs may not be to your taste,
but after him, I think India shows a distinct
demarcation, with the somewhat niggardly designed Independence set.

Henceforward, India lost some of its mystique in stamps
and reflected the modern journey forward,
highlighted by the rather mundane "map of india" set.

Oh, that reminds me, I must put my hands on the 1931 1-anna. A spectacular stamp.

I'll regard the New Zealand stamp as an aberration, or the work of an impostor. I chose those examples of his work for Hyderabad and Jaipur because I quite like them. (Well, not entirely sure about the Hyderabad Victory stamp, but the others ...)

Archer was also responsible for the 1940 Indian 'economy' definitives, which I think are among the best of Indian designs, along with the Georgian Rupee values and the George VI modes of transport definitives. (Gibbons doesn't credit a designer a designer for the latter, but it wouldn't surprise if Archer was behind them, too.)

The whole set is nice, Cjd. I have spares of the 1 and 4 Anna (SERVICE opt)



but they aren't especially cheap, I'm afraid. Archer also did the Maharaja's head design



which was part of the Investiture set, and was used for the later definitives. (But if you have to ask the price of that ¼ Anna SERVICE, you can't afford it.)