The 4a Circular Handstamp

The regular registration rate. Care is needed with the earlier literature because this die was widely misunderstood as representing the 1a denomination. The 4a came into attested use some few weeks after the introduction of the lower-denomination circulars in 1866. Its issue came to share certain distinctive shade varieties with the Jammu plate (which was introduced the following year in August 1867) that are not found with the other two circulars. The earliest of these shared shades was the rare 4a indigo dating from December 1867. Again, we are able to display some of the period watercolor forgeries at the bottom of the screen, this way†.

The Early Blue 4a Watercolors

The 4a in the earliest blue shade (known as ‘royal blue’ or ‘bright ultramarine’) may not exist in this highest denomination. Some 4a early blue has been recognized unpriced under ‘royal blue’ by Stanley Gibbons from the 2004 edition onward. The Haverbeck 1973 auction catalogue surmised the existence of fewer than 25 copies of the 4a royal blue, but this implausibly high number likely includes ultramarines of other stripe.

The 4a ultramarine watercolor on native paper, 1866. This example is cancelled with an early strike of the Srinagar brick-red seal. These stamps are known in a range of shades and demeanors, watery to relatively sharp, and lasted into the spring of 1867.

The 4a deep blue watercolor on native paper, late 1867. This rare shade, which has a rare counterpart in the Jammu plate, is shown in the Eames article on the blue watercolors: India Post 29, 2-5 (1995).

The 4a indigo watercolor on native paper. Perhaps only three specimens in unused condition are now known, this from the Hellrigl collection. Despite its rarity, the postal usage extended over quite a few weeks, from perhaps December 1867 into February 1868. The shade has a counterpart, plentiful by comparison, among the Jammu rectangulars, also February 1868.

The 4a indigo circular is known on fewer than a half-dozen covers. The piece pictured above is from Winthrop Boggs’ 1941 review article; it shows the stamp accompanied by a Kashmir rectangular, a ½a ultramarine, with the pair cancelled by the Srinagar seal in brick-red. This was Lot 1246 in the Haverbeck auction. The catalogue gives the shade of the circular as “blue-black,” which is an older designation found in the earlier literature for the indigo shade (but not for the counterpart Jammu rectangular, so far as we know.) A much later 1876 anomalous printing that currently goes under the blue-black heading is shown at the bottom of the screen.

The cover is dated in Masson’s hand ‘4th Shawal’ 1284 ~ 29 January 1868, which is ten days earlier than the jawab dating seen here on the cover upside-down, namely 14 shavvâl ~ 9 February 1868 (the pick-up date at Amritsar.) This cover was described erroneously in the article as an internal cover destined only so far as Jammu, possibly on account of the absent British postage. We say ‘absent’ in place of ‘missing’ because a good fraction of early jawab covers do not bear British postage, perhaps for a reason. While the ‘indigo cover’ shown here comes cancelled with the Srinagar brick-red seal, at least one is known (Hellrigl collection naturally) cancelled in the Jammu magenta. In place of the Kashmir ultramarine rectangular comes a Jammu ultramarine rectangular, and the cover is a registered letter, not a jawab. Now you know.

The Early 4a Black Watercolor

The 4a grey-black watercolor on native paper. A rare item indeed, with at most a half-dozen attested unused and perhaps (rumors aside) none at all in used condition. The stamp did not appear with the two lower denomination blacks in 1866. Séfi & Mortimer speculatively classified this issue as one “prepared for issue” only. This black is perhaps best regarded as the high denomination companion to the Jammu plate printed in the same shade, either as a color trial for the plate or issued to serve the registration function. If so, its dating would be late summer or autumn 1867, given that the Jammu plate blacks are known only for about three weeks in August and September of that year.

The Red & Orange 4a Watercolors

The key modern reference on the red and orange watercolors is Tim Eames’ article: India Post 29, 42-44 (1995), which we have followed closely herein.

The 4a ‘red’ watercolor on native paper, collection Hellrigl. This cover, destined to the Amritsar depot at Katra Ahlûwâlian, is the earliest of only three known 4a circular reds on cover: 6 mâgh 1925 ~ 17 January 1869. As to such early reds, Dawson & Smythies (p 13) speak of a “sort of brown-red, unusually clearly printed, and somewhat resembling an oil-colour.” They bear the Jammu circular seal in black, and so must date between June 1868 and into the spring of 1870 when the iron-mine squarish seal came into use. Is the preceding an example? Absent British postage, this cover should bear some sign of financial reckoning; the red-orange triangle struck at Sialkot is said to pertain to that. This item is pictured also on Staal Plate I.

Eames reports a 4a vermilion for the early period, and to our disadvantaged eye trying to judge color done on a different scanner there is indeed something of the vermilion to the preceding as well, say you? In any case, the Jammu rectangular was undoubtedly produced from the same batch of paint, and vermilions in the rectangular are known from this period cancelled with the black seal.

The 4a scarlet-red watercolor on native paper, 1869. There are close counterparts in the ½a & 1a circulars. A printing of the Jammu plate was done in the same shade range, for which the circulars may conceivably have been trials. In any case, the shade is not so far reported in postal use so far as we know.

The 4a orange-red watercolor on native paper, 1872. There was something of a spectrum of shades more or less connecting the two extremes red to orange, the latter being the most scarce, to wit:

The 4a orange watercolor on native paper. The image is a detail from a cover in the Hellrigl collection dated 9 November 1872. Fewer than a dozen true oranges are likely in collectors’ hands now. An identical pigment was used with the Jammu plate, which is an equally rare issue in the 1a.

The 4a orange-vermilion watercolor on native paper. Eames reports this (and also in the 1a circular) from 1875 onward as occuring in a wide range of darkening of the pigment through sulphuration. A similar shade with similar discoloration is seen on 1a Kashmir rectangular watercolors. This scan and the preceding were done on different scanners, so the hue cannot be compared directly .

The 4a carmine-red watercolor on native paper, 1876. This is the celebrated “cherry-red” of the classical literature, and this specimen is the only attested example in postally used condition, Hellrigl collection, ex Earl.

The 4a lake watercolor on native paper. Eames distinguishes this printing of the same emotional class as the preceding; the link takes us to the counterpart seen in the Jammu plate†. Our own dating of the latter takes us some months back, to September 1875.

The late 4a ‘reds’ watercolors on native paper. Eames records other reds in the 1875-76 period, including a particular bright red. Whether these belonged formally to the Special Printings project, we do not know. For us reds are always a separate story from that, if only for the convenience of not having to worry about which particular reds belong.

The Later Watercolors 1874-76

The 4a deep black watercolor on native paper, 1874, is a rare enough item, and not known in used condition. Some have the appearance of oilcolor and have to be tested carefully with water.

The 4a yellow watercolor on native paper of 1874 is very rare, though perhaps not so rare as the 1a. Neither is known in used condition. Collection Hellrigl.

The 4a bright blue watercolor circulars (existing in brighter and deeper shades) on native paper. They might not be known in postally used condition, but seem to be not uncommon unused. Collection Hellrigl.

The 4a imperial blue watercolor on native paper. An example of the shade† is shown at the bottom of the ½a circulars page, where the discussion begins.

The 4a blue-black watercolor circular 1876. This stamp, which some consider to be a mixing error, is a rarity known both used and unused. Perhaps a dozen or so exist. It is recorded as indigo in the Scott catalogue [Sc35a]. The early-period indigo was often called blue-black in the early literature. The specimen seen here distinguishes itself most readily from those of the early printing by the use of the Jammu square obliteration. Collection Hellrigl.

4a Watercolor Circulars (native paper)

The 4a Die I Forgery

The Die I forgeries come in the ½a and 4a only. The latter was long assumed to be a 1a, a fact that in itself helped to foster the same mis-assignments on the authentic issues. Catalogues still incorrectly refer to these forgeries as existing in the ½a and 1a denominations. Interestingly there is a similar sort of forgery, also discussed by Masson, that we call Die X (not standard terminology.) For these the situation is reversed, for here the 1a denomination exists, but the 4a apparently does not.

Die I Forgery. The 4a indigo watercolor on native paper. Séfi & Mortimer may list this as blue-black, as they did for the postal indigo. The literature speaks also of a deep purple, which again might be the same item.

Die I Forgery. The 4a deep rose watercolor on native paper. Séfi & Mortimer (pp 258-59) also list an orange-red watercolor and another in red on buff ‘rice’ paper.

4a Circular Die I Watercolor Forgeries

This way to the 4a oilcolor printings†.

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