Hungary: Stephen Horthy Memorial Stamp

This stamp was issued on October 15, 1942 to commemorate the death of Stephen Horthy, elder son of Hungarian Regent Nicholas Horthy.



Stephen was elected Vice-Regent by the Hungarian Parliament on 19 Feb, 1942, in order to provide a line of succession in case something happened to the Regent. During the summer of 1942, he was sent to the Russian front as a pilot of the Hungarian Air Force. Worried about his safety, the Regency ordered him to return home. Unfortunately, this was not to be. On Aug. 20, 1942 (St. Stephen's Day, Hungary's national holiday---also the name-day of those christened 'Stephen'), the Vice-Regent went for a training flight before returning home (to celebrate his name-day). This was to be his last flight. The Italy-made Carponi aircraft Horthy was flying crashed headlong into the ground, killing him instantly.

The stamp depicted above was printed in press sheets of 150 stamps. These were cut into post office sheets of 100 and 50 each. The 50-stamp sheets contained two plate varieties: one showing seven stars in the sky, and the other nine. All of the other stamps had eight stars. The upper part of the design also shows the legendary Hun warriors of the Milky Way.

Edward VIII: The King who Abdicated for Love

Edward VIII (23 June, 1894 to 28, May 1972; Reign from 20 January 1936 to 11 December 1936)

For info see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom
Abdication speech: http://www.etoile.co.uk/Speech/EdwardAbdication.html
Abdication crisis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_abdication_crisis

Only one set of four definitive postage stamps was issued during Edward VIII's short reign. Blocks of all four, issued during between 20 January and 10 December 1936, are shown below. The design of these stamps was based on artwork by 17-year-old Hubert Brown.

Scott 230 1/2p Dark Green


Scott 231 1p Crimson


Scott 232 1-1/2p Red Brown


Scott 233 2-1/2p Bright Ultra

India, Early Lithographed Issues, Final Part

Typographed Two Annas

The design for the Two Anna variety was prepared by Colonel Forbes (at Calcutta mint). These issues were typographed.

Typographed Two Annas (October 4, 1854)



Lithographed Four Annas

Lithographed Four Annas was probably the world's first bi-colour stamp. Designed by Captain H.L. Thuillier and engraved by Muneerooddin, these stamps were initially produced in sheets of 12. The number was increased to 24 stamps per sheet when the demand increased. As in the case of Half Anna and One Anna varieties, three dies of the Four Anna variety are known. Copies that are cut square are about 25 times scarcer (and MUCH more expensive) than cut-to-shape ones.

Lithographed Four Annas (1854)
Cut to shape, stuck on a piece of paper, damaged, and so heavily cancelled that it becomes very hard to identify the die. In short, the only specimen I could afford :D

Paisa, 1/2 Paisa, and 1/4 Paisa of Tippu Sultan (1750-1799) "The Tiger of Mysore"

For info on Tippu Sultan see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippu_Sultan

All coins issued during the first four years of Tippu Sultan's reign bear the Hijri date (in which numerals are read from left to right). In the fifth year, he introduced the Mauludi era (which takes its origin from the birth of the Prophet Muhammad). In the Mauludi system, years are read from right to left. Coins of the fourth year are dated 1200 AH, while those of the fifth year bear 1215 AM. The Hijri years are lunar years of 12 lunar months each. For the new calendar, Tippu adopted the Hindu calendar and replaced the names of the sixty cyclic years and months with Arabic ones.

Numerous errors occur in the AM dates, particularly on copper coins (probably because South Indian die engravers were unfamilair with Arabic numerals). For instance, on the coins of 1215 AM the date was intended to be written as
,
but on many coins (such as the 1/4 Paisa shown below), it appears as

(as the year would have been written in the older system).

Tippu also invented different names for his coins, which are usually found on the reverse. The gold and silver coins are named after Calipha and Imams, respectively. The copper ones, with the exception of the Double Paisa, are named after stars and planets. These names (with the exception of the Double Paisa), however, do not appear on copper coins till 1221 AM.

The obverse of the copper coins shows an elephant, either advancing or standing, left or right. (On some of the Double Paisa coins, the elephant is shown with its trunk uplifted.) Generally, pre-1221 AM coins show an elephant facing left, whereas later ones generally depict one facing right.

The Paisa or Zohra
Zohra is the Persian name of the planet Venus.
Stuck at Faiz Hisar (meaning 'the fort of bounty'), the name applied to Gooty.

Obverse: Elephant advancing to right with uplifted tail; above the tail the Mauludi year 1216 (Regnal year VI; cyclic year 42; first day of Mauludi year: 7th April, 1788)


Reverse: From bottom to top (on a field of dotted rosettes, in a double-lined circle with a row of dots),

'Struck at'


'Faiz Hisar'




The 1/2 Paisa or Behram
Behram is the Persian name for the planet Mars.
Stuck at Pattan (meaning 'town'), which is a contraction of Srirangapatan (meaning 'the town of the Blessed Ranganatha'---that's a name of Lord Vishnu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganatha)

Obverse: Elephant advancing to left with upifted tail (in double-lined circle with a row of dots); above the tail is the Mauludi year 1216 (Regnal year VI; cyclic year 42; first day of Mauludi year: 7th April, 1788)


Reverse: From bottom to top (on a field of dotted rosettes, in a double-lined circle with a row of dots),

'Struck at'


'Pattan'




The 1/4 Paisa or Akhtar
Akhtar is the persian word for a star.

Obverse: Elephant advancing to left with upifted tail (in double-lined circle with a row of dots); above the tail is the Mauludi year 1215 (Regnal year V; cyclic year 41; first day of Mauludi year: 20th March, 1787) (written wrongly, as described above)


Reverse: From bottom to top (on a field of dotted rosettes, in a double-lined circle with a row of dots),

'Struck at'


'Pattan'

India, Early Lithographed Issues, Part 2

Thuillier began work on the One Anna variety using a better version of the Indian vermilion ink. Similar to the Half Anna variety, three different dies of the One Anna variety are known. These can again be distinguished on the basis of the differences in details of the chignon, corner ornaments, diadem, etc.

Lithographed One Anna (1854)

Die I


Die II

Punch-marked Karshapana of Ashoka the Great (304–232 BC) (G/H Series VIB, Type 561)

Punch-marked Karshapana of Ashoka the Great
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka_the_great

Another link, for those who love conspiracy theories:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Unknown_Men

Obverse



Reverse


Symbols
Obverse

Five symbols:
1. Sun
2. Sadaracakra (dynasty wheel) or Dharmacakra (Wheel of Dharma) (type uncertain)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmacakra
3. Caduceus (Ashoka's royal symbol)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus
4. Three-arched hill
5. Triskeles and unknown symbol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskelion

Reverse
Ashoka's mudra (Caduceus)


Note: The caduceus (depicted as three ovals crossed by a line) can also be found on older punch-marked coins. However, Ashoka's signet has ovals that touch each other, which is not the case in the symbol found on older coins.

General information on punch-marked coins:

Shape:

Chandragupta Maurya's Prime Minister Kautilya (also known as Chanakya) describes in his book Arthashastra how the coins of this period were made. The metal was melted, purified with alkalies, beaten into sheets, and cut into pieces. Subsequently, the symbols were punched on these pieces. Since the pieces had to be cut and clipped to make them conform to a particular weight, coins were made in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Sometimes, metal of the desired weight was melted and either poured on a flat board to take its own shape or made into pellets, which were then flattened.


Symbols:

Initially, the coins carried only one symbol. Gradually, the number of symbols increased to two, and then five. If the coin bore a single symbol, it was placed at the center of the flan. If there were two symbols, they were placed side by side. Four symbols were usually placed in pairs (one pair opposite the other).

The flan of the coin was often much smaller than the size of the punches. Therefore, in coins with four or five symbols (such as the one I have posted), it is common to find parts of the symbols off the flan or overlapping one another. These factors (coupled with the astounding varity of the symbols) often make the correct identification of the symbols very challenging.

Originally, the symbols were punched only on one side of the coin (which may be called the obverse). When the coin became worn, a fresh symbol (or group of symbols) was pressed on the reverse. For coins bearing four or five symbols, the reverse was either blank or bore minute symbols (mostly one or two in number), which are believed to be those of shroffs or money testers. Coins of later period (bearing five obverse symbols) carried a conpicuous symbol on the center of the reverse, which became quite bold during the Mauryan period.

Coins of Magadha (the seat of the powerful Maurya dynasty) can be divided into two periods.

1. Earlier issues of the time when Magadha was merely a janapada (small state):
These can again be divided into two sub-periods.
(a) The period during which Rajagriha was the capital: Coins of this period are of an irregular, roughly rectangular shape. The number of symbols on them varies from one to six.
(b) Coins issued after the capital was shifted to Patliputra (Patna): These coins bear four symbols, of which two are the sun and the six-armed symbol (Sadaracakra). The earlier coins of this period are irregular, and the later ones circular.

2. Coins issued during the period of Magadha's imperial expansion: Thin, broad coins are thought to be earliest in chronology and the thick, smaller ones latest. These coins are found in a variety of shapes, all of which have five different symbols on the obverse, placed in a definite order. More than 450 varieties of these symbols can be identified on these coins! Based on the symbol groups, the coins can be classifed into about 600 varieties, which can be sub-divided into various classes and, in turn, into six or seven series.

Coins of the first four series bear minute symbols on the reverse. Coins of series five bear a distinct mark on the reverse, in addition to these minute marks. Coins of series six and seven have a reverse mark as bold as the obverse symbols.