4a Native-Paper Oilcolors
The key modern references are T. Eames India Post 29 88-90 (1995) and India Post 29 129 (1995). Four-anna blacks on either the native paper or the European laid may not be attested. In this respect the 4a die stands allied with the 1a die in not wanting to serve in black oils for postal duty. Common native-paper reprints, however, exist in the black oilcolor for all three denominations of the circulars.
4a Oilcolor “Blues”
The 4a slate-grey and 4a violet oilcolors on native paper. The latter is an unlisted shade, ex Masson, Hellrigl collection.
4a Oilcolor Reds
The 4a red oilcolor on native paper. Varieties come in a range of hue that tends toward the brownish-red. They are all scarce, and used copies are scarcer still.
A 4a coral-red oilcolor on native paper, status unknown, quite possibly a reprint. We include it here because it is somewhat reminiscent of the orange-red listed by Eames in the 1-anna. Yet another 4a orange-red is reported in a unique occurence (Haverbeck Lot 1281) on a registered cover, Jammu to Amritsar dated 7 April 1878.
4a Oilcolor Orange
Eames in India Post 29 89 (1995) reports a previously unrecorded 4a yellow-orange oilcolor on native paper in both used and unused condition. One of the latter shows traces of olive green pigment on the back, and so he dates it to the transitional period.
4a Oilcolor Yellows
No postal issue in yellow oilcolor is known in this denomination on either the native or the European laid paper.
4a Oilcolor Greens
The 4a olive green circular on native paper is very rare, with probably fewer than a half-dozen known in unused condition, despite the very low price in SG. We have no information about used copies, except to note that it is unpriced in SG.