The history of Indian philately really began in 1850 when Sir Bartle Frere of the East India Company was appointed the chief commissioner of Sindh (the British spelling of the province was Scinde), even though the Indian Post Office was established in 1837. The British had annexed Sindh in 1843 after defeating the Sindhi armies in the battles of Miani and Dobo. Frere was seen as an efficient administrator who could bring in much needed reforms in this newly acquired territory. Frere is believed to have promoted the Sindhi language, built canals and roads and also expunged slavery. His other more significant contribution was in improving the postal system of the province.
Frere brought in inexpensive, uniform rates for postage and replaced the runners or dak-wallahs with camels and horses which plied routes along the Indus river and connected government institutions and post offices from Karachi to Shikarpur. Most importantly, he introduced the postal stamp. Undivided India was the first in Asia and 10th in the world to issue a postal stamp. Penny Black was the first ever adhesive postage stamp in the world, introduced in Britain in 1840. The India version was called Scinde Dawk and it was meant to ensure the British had complete command over administrative matters in the province. Scinde Dawk was also the first-ever round stamp to be seen anywhere in the world.
Frere, in concert with Edward Less Coffey, the Postmaster of Karachi, issued the first stamp for India, now famously known as ‘Scinde Dawk’. On 1 July 1852, the red half anna Scinde Dawk became Asia's first postage stamp. This red, half anna stamp had a heart right in the middle and bore the initials EIC for East India Company. Made with red sealing wax wafer and embossed with backing paper, it was much too fragile and upgraded for a thicker whitish and bluish paper in its second printing. However, attaching these to white envelopes made them difficult to be discerned. Finally, a deep blue version was brought out before discontinuing Scinde Dawk altogether in 1854 when Queen Victoria postal stamps started getting printed.
Most Scinde Dawk stamps were withdrawn and could not have been in use beyond 1856. But avid philatelists are a determined lot and some manage to procure the rarest finds. One prominent Indian stamp collector has now decided to share a blue Scinde Dawk from his collection at an upcoming auction in Mumbai. AstaGuru's first auction in the ‘Numismatic &
Philatelic’ segment on October 30, 31 will feature a blue Scinde Dawk. It is a half anna Blue from the year 1852 and its estimate price is Rs 3,50,000 - 4,50,000. "The blue Scinde Dawk was issued by the East India Company and prior to the 1857 uprising against the rule of the Company. It signifies the transition and arrival of postage system in India," says Sidhant Nayangara, content editor with AstaGuru.
Highly coveted by collectors, a blue Scinde Dawk was sold for Rs 3,20,000 last year in December at Todywalla Auctions in Mumbai.
Other important lots in the AstaGuru auction include a Rs10, government of India proof note from 1860. According to the auction house, "this is the proof note of one of the first series of notes which were circulated by the government of India in accordance with the Indian paper money Act of 1861. Considering this banknote was in circulation post 1861, it is possible to deduce the fact that the design and formatting of this note took three years to complete. Observed is the original date of creation, i.e March 26, 1958," says a spokesperson from AstaGuru. "This is a very rare lot because it has annotations with regards to the design and placement of units mentioned. Also observed is the date of approval, i.e March 7, 1860," says AstaGuru. A proof note is a draft upon which the design and other integral aspects of the banknote that has to be issued is etched and scrutinised. Once the proof note is prepared it is inspected, thereafter which it is approved. The estimated auction price of the Rs 10 proof note is Rs 60,00,000 – 80,00,000.
