George V Era - Cochin State

Dear Tony,

I failed to send images of the errors I got on 5th 6th Raja. I will still continue to upload them. Meanwhile when I saw your new thread, I cannot hold but add some thing. Generally when we look at the pricing of the Cochin Stamps, The recess printed and the early puttan stamps are priced less where as the latter issues from 3rd Raja are priced high. This leads to a feeling that the earlier stamps are easily available in market, but is is not so.

Dear Tony,

I have one more point to add on how the I Rajah 3annas became so rare. During that time 3annas was the registration charge and there was an order that the fee for registration from the people coming for it may be collected and receipt for registration be given. Instead of pasting the stamp on the postal article it was to be pasted on the counter foil of the receipt and kept at the Anchal Office (Post office)(appears funny isn't it ?). At the year end all the counterfoils of registration were to be sent to Head Post office for verification/audit. So very few 3 anna stamps got out of post office for sending parcels etc.

Thomas Paul

I quite agree with you about the pricing of Cochin. Frankly, I don't understand it myself. But I have noticed that, when good earlier material is offered, it still gets good prices - mint or used.

I've commented elsewhere that part of the blame may be with new, unsophisticated collectors coming into Cochin. They've been told that they must buy only mint unhinged. It's easier to find the later material in that state, so that's what they concentrate on.

Still, not all the earlier items are unappreciated. I had to fight very hard to win this cover (and another with a similar franking)



on ebay recently. I don't think the competition was for the 3rd Raja 2¼ Anna stamp, either.

Thomas, that's a very interesting point about the 1st Raja 3 Annas



I didn't know about that. When did that rule end? The 2nd Raja 3 Annas isn't rare used. The rule must have ended at the latest early in his reign.

Actually, Bussahir - at the other end of the country - used to do the same thing. Here are two cut-outs from the Bussahir registration book:

I recently acquired this group of plate proofs and colour trials by Perkins, Bacon, which neatly span the George V era in Cochin:



The plate proofs are on watermarked, but ungummed, paper.