52 FEBRUARY 2016 http://www.stampandcoin.co.ukFact le
W
hile all of
the Princely
States used
stamps
of British
India for
international postage, many of the
larger states at one time issued their own
stamps for use within their state. Postage
stamps from India States can be divided
into two basic categories: Feudatory
States and Convention States. Feudatory
States issued their own stamps which
were valid within that particular state.
Convention States were part of a larger
Postal Convention with the British India
postal system to frank internal postage as
well as mail sent to other parts of British
India. Convention States overprinted
stamps of British India with their
particular state.
This month we will briefly cover
the British state of Hyderabad.
Located in the south-central region of
the Indian subcontinent, Hyderabad
became part of the Mughal Empire
in the 1680s. In 1724, as the empire
began to weaken, a Mughal official,
Asif Jah, defeated a rival governor to
seize control of the empire’s southern
provinces and declared himself
‘Nizam-al-Mulk’. This began the rule
of hereditary Nizams in Hyderabad.British India offers a large, somewhat complicated variety of stamp issuing entities to collect, writes
Michael Adkins. While India Specialists have a lifetime of interesting varieties to research, it can also
be a rewarding area for dead country collectorsAfter the death of Asif Jah in 1748,
a long war of succession broke out
and the British and French fought
to affect the results. Eventually, the
British-supported Hyder Ali became
the new Nizam, and the British
forced him to sign the Treaty of
Masulipatam on 23 February, 1768,
by which Hyderabad came under
British control. In 1798, Hyderabad
was officially added to the British
Empire as one of the princely states
of British India, however the Nizam
retained control of its internal affairs.
During the rule of the Nazims,
Hyderabad was one of the largest, most
prosperous Indian States. The state was
devoutly Muslim and fully supported
Britain in its various wars in the region.
In 1947, at the time of the partition
of India to form the Dominion of
India and the Dominion of Pakistan,
Nizam Osman Ali Khan decided
not to join either new nation and
sought to declare Hyderabad as an
independent nation. India insisted that
Hyderabad join India, and the Nizam
appealed to King George VI of Great
Britain. Undaunted, India invaded
Hyderabad on 13 September, 1948,
and five days later the government was
disposed and Hyderabad was annexed
into the new Indian nation.
From the standpoint of stamp
collectors, Hyderabad is considered
a Feudatory state. The first stamps
of Hyderabad were issued in 1869
and featured an Arabic script design
with three different values ½, 1 and
2 Annas. They were replaced in 1880
with a set of eight stamps featuring a
new design inscribed ‘POST STAMP’Dead Countries
in English, and the value was shown
in four languages: Hindi, Telugu,
Urdu and English around the centre
of the stamp. This design was used
for Hyderabad definitives (including a
surcharge in 1900), when a new design
was introduced in 1902 which featured
the seal of the Nizam in the centre.
The first few years contained the word
‘POSTAGE’ inscribed across the top
of the stamp in an arc. In 1915-16,
an additional set was issued with the
inscription ‘POST & RECEIPT’.
In 1931, Hyderabad released a set
of attractive pictorials, which featured
various important places within
Hyderabad, including Char Minar, the
reservoir for the City of Hyderabad,
and the entrance to Ajanta Caves.
Additional commemoratives were issued
including the Nazim Silver Jubilee issues
on 13 February, 1937, an issue in 1946
celebrating the Allied victory in the
Second World War, and issues depicting
various buildings in the state.
Beginning in 1873, the majority of
Hyderabad’s stamps were overprinted
for official use, up until (and a little
after) the annexation of Hyderabad
into India.
One final caution, stamps of the
Indian Feudatory states have been
extensively reprinted and forged. Any
collector would be advised to have
important stamps expertized if they
are particularly valuable are rare. For
the majority of low value stamps
from Hyderabad, there are many
experts who are happy to share their
knowledge with collectors on many of
the prominent online stamp boards.
Happy collecting.Hyderabad, Princely State of India
Government: Princely State
under British Sovereignty
Prior Regime: Mughal Empire
Key Dates:
1724 – The formation of Hyderabad and the rise of the
Nazim dynasty
13 February, 1768 – Treaty of Masulipatam, where
Hyderabad came under the control of the British
1798 – Hyderabad became a princely State in
the British Empire
17 September, 1948– Hyderabad annexed into
the Republic of India
Following Regime: Dominion of India
First Stamp Issued: 1869From left: 1898 ½
anna stamp surcharged
¼ anna when postal
authorities issued a
lower rate for printed
matter under 3 tolas •
Issued 1931-48, this
stamp featuring Char
Minar, a monument and
mosque in Hyderabad,
is part of a set of
pictorials issued by
the state • Issued
in 1946, this stamp
commemorates the
victory of the Allies in
the Second World War- February, 1937 set
to commemorate the
silver jubilee of Nizam
Osman Ali Khan. This
stamp shows Unani
General Hospital,
founded by the Nizam
Find out more about ‘Dead Country’ stamps at: dcstamps.comp52 Dead countries.indd 52 21/12/2015 09:51