Azad Hind Cinderellas

Info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azad_Hind
For general info on cinderellas, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella_stamp

Shown below are seven cinderellas (imperf) of the Azad Hind series from my collection. These were printed for the provisional government of Azad Hind (Free India) at Reichsdruckerei (Government Printing Plant), Berlin.

Map of the Indian sub-continent, breaking the shackles for freedom, amidst two ceremonial swords.





Indian girl working at a Charkha




Plough farming a rice field; farmer; and Himalayas


Nurse comforting a wounded soldier


Sikh soldier with INA insignia aiming a German MG-34


The cinderellas shown above were designed by Werner and Maria von Axter-Heudtlass ("AX-HEU" appears on each one). Though not used postally, on 23 Jan, 1964 these were used in Calcutta on First Day Covers of two commemorative isses on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (with a special postmark "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Netaji Bhavan, Calcutta. 23-1-64").

German Classics, Part 3

Saxony

1 ng black, rose (1855-1860)


2 ng black, dark blue (1855-1860)


3 ng black, yellow (1855-1860)


1/2 ng black, gray (1855-1860)


1ng rose (1863)


2ng blue (1863)


1/2 ng orange (1863)


3 ng bister brown (1863)

German Classics, Part 2

Prussia

2 gs black, blue (1850-1856 or 1858-1860)


1 sg rose (1861-1865)


2 sg ultra (1861-1865)


3 sg bister (1861-1865)


9 kr bister brown (1867)


9 kr bister brown (different shade) (1867)

German Classics, Part 1

Baden

3 kr black, yellow (1851-1852)


6 kr black, yellow (1853-1858)


3 kr black, green (1853-1858)


6 kr prussian blue (1862)


9 kr brown (1862)


3 kr rose (1862-1865)


7 kr dull blue (1868)


3 kr rose (1868)

Killer Cancels: Part 1

Rupee of Sher Shah Suri (AD 1486-1545), Gwalior Mint, 951 AH

Info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sher_Shah_Suri

Obverse
Kalima-e-tayyabah (lā ilāha illā-llāh muhammadan rasūlu-llāh), enclosed in a square.
The margins should have the names of the four successors: Abu Bakr below, Umar at the left, Uthman above, and Ali at the right.



Reverse
Inside square (top): es-sultan Sher Shah khallad Allah mulkahu (the Sultan Sher Shah, may Allah perpetuate his kingdom)
Inside square (bottom): Devanagari legend "Sri Sersahi" (often very faulty, as on this coin).

The margins should have
farid ed-dunya wa as-din abu al-muzaffar zarb Gwalior (Unique one of the world and of the faith, father of the vioctorious, minting of Gwalior.)

Mint mark of Gwalior

Year: 951 AH (1544 AD)


PS: The word Rūpaya (Rupee) was first used by Sher Shah Suri.