Kolkata philatelic expo showcases rare collections

KOLKATA: Stamps made of gold and silver and others encrusted with precious stones are among those on display at the Ninth State Level Philatelic Exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts. The exhibition is held every four years. The exhibition with 6,400 pages of philately items of more than 100 collectors will be on till November 21.
Titled ‘Ekla Cholo Re’ in commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, it highlights Gandhi’s unwavering commitment to non-violent movement even if it meant walking on the path alone.The non-competitive invitee class in the exhibition is on Gandhi and showcases among other frames all stamps that have been released by 71 countries to mark his 150th birth anniversary.
One of India’s most famous stamps, the Rupees 10 ‘Service’ overprinted Gandhi stamp is on display. It was issued on August 15, 1948, on the occasion of the first anniversary of India’s Independence Day — Gandhi was honoured as the first Indian to be depicted on stamps of India. A set of 100 stamps was overprinted with the word “Service” and provided only to the Governor General of India for his official use. The 10 Rupees ‘Service’ overprinted stamp is one of India’s rarest and most highly valued stamps.
It is the competitive class that is not bound by any theme that is a treat to view. A stamp from the Netherlands that is 99.9% gold is in the exhibit as are 100% silver stamps from France and the Netherlands. Then there is a diamond-studded stamp from Portugal and one with Swarovski crystals from Austria.
Another one is a set of seven disc-shaped stamps from Bhutan that actually belt out songs when played on gramophone. “The stamps are actually mini-records,” said philatelist Uttam Kumar Dutta. His son Raunak has a telegram signed by Rabindranath Tagore’s son Rathindranath. It was sent from Jorasanko Thakurbari at 6 Dwarkanath Tagore Lane to an estate manager in East Pakistan on April 6, 1950.
Then there is a Russian postal stationery where Rabindranath Tagore’s year of death is noted as 1945 instead of 1941. This is the only known commercially used copy of the stationary in private hands. In the world of philately, an error like this one is more valuable than a perfect one. There is another philatelic item of 1911 on Rabindranath, the first on him issued as a protest by a nationalist during the Swadeshi movement.