EARLY INDIAN PHILATELIC LITERATURE

1875-1900

By Abhishek Bhuwalka
Presentation at Stockholmia 2019
30 May 2019
 PRESENTATION FORMAT

Early Indian Philatelic Scene

Stamp Journals

Handbooks including Stamp Catalogues

Price Lists and Auction Catalogues

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INDIAN PHILATELY IN LATE
19 TH CENTURY

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 M.P. CASTLE IN INDIA - DEC 1892 / JAN 1893

BOMBAY
• The Bombay Society…is in a flourishing condition
• We had also visits from several of the dealers in the
city

CALCUTTA
• …matter of surprise that no Philatelic Society has yet
been formed…cannot help thinking that the time is
ripe for such a step
• …trade does not seem very strongly represented,
although there are one or two dealers …of Indian
Native States
REST OF INDIA
• Collectors outside…Bombay and Calcutta are
scattered far and wide …difficult to trace them.

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 INDIAN PHILATELY IN THE EARLY YEARS

Green shoots in the late 1870s / early 1880s as the first collectors,
writers, and dealers come in
Formation of Philatelic
Earliest collector and writer Col. G. B. Mainwaring (1825 – 1893) from Societies
the early 1870s

Earliest dealer Universal Stamp Exchange (?) formed 1878

• 1892 Aug: Bombay
Philatelic Society
Most dealers from Bombay and Indians esp. from Parsi and Portuguese
• 1894 Feb: The Philatelic
Indian community Society of Bengal
• 1894?: Burma Philatelic
Most advanced collectors from Calcutta & Bombay and mainly Britishers Society
• 1897 Mar: The Philatelic
Society of India
Firsts in Indian Philately:
• First Society formed in 1892
• First Journal published and first public stamp auction in 1894
• First handbooks published in the 1870s

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 PROBLEMS TRACKING INDIAN LITERATURE

Given few collectors and fewer philatelists, philatelic inquiry did

not spread out in all directions

Study of stamps by Indian philatelists attained levels close to or

equal to western standards

However hardly any interest in philatelic literature and its

bibliography

Historical and bibliographical information of Indian philatelic

literature not recorded

Printed works, especially of the ephemeral kind such as auction

or exhibition catalogues or price lists, not preserved

In early 1950s, Jal Cooper estimated around 25 journals issued

from 1895 to 1950; many are unknown and most are rare

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 EARLY INDIAN PHILATELISTS

B. Gordon Jones W. Wilmot Corfield

G. J. Hynes
1872 - 1957 1859 - 1919

Charles F. Larmour Sir Charles Stewart- Sir David P. Masson Ernest W. Wetherell
(1853? – 1914) Wilson 1847 - 1915 1869 - 1933
1864 - 1950
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STAMP JOURNALS

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 INDIAN PHILATELIST…1

Edited by Julio Ribeiro of Bombay

• Renowned collector of Portuguese India
• Owner of Bombay Stamp Exchange
• Brother of H. Ribeiro, owner of Bombay Philatelic Co.
• Founding member of the Bombay Philatelic Society
• Later its critic and removed from the Society in Aug 1895

Published May 1894 to Apr 1896 – 23 issues

Positive reviews from then leading journals

Peaked in second and third quarters of first year

Possibly 500-1000 copies of each issue printed

Very rare with complete runs in Crawford and APRL

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 INDIAN PHILATELIST…2

Strong beginnings
• Initial issues had original articles by members of
Bombay Philatelic Society and one “Wenzel”
• Scraps and titbits of information from the philatelic
world
• Reviews of contents of other journals and reprints
• Minutes of the meetings of the Bombay Philatelic
Society and other societies

Fizzle at the end

• Scrap with Society from early 1895 onwards
• Later issues mostly reprints and own
advertisements

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 CHARLES FREDERICK LARMOUR (1853? – 1914)

Background
• Started collecting as a school boy in England
• Came to India in 1869 and was a businessman in Calcutta
• Restarted collecting seriously in 1889
• Main interests were the stamps of British Empire and Portuguese India
• Supporter of the formation of The Philatelic Society of India and served on its
council
• Father of A. C. Larmour, editor of The London Philatelist during WWII

Journalistic Activities
• Edited The Philatelic World singly or with Wilmot Corfield for 28 of its 32
issues
• Co-edited The Philatelic Journal of India from Jan 1897 – Apr 1898 “Father of Philatelic
Journalism in India”
Resigned abruptly from The Philatelic Society of India in May
1909

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 THE PHILATELIC WORLD…1

Official Organ of The Philatelic Society of Bengal

Published from Jul 1894 to Mar 1897 (32 issues) by B.

Gordon Jones and later B. Gordon Jones & Co.

Edited by Larmour and Corfield for most of its issues

Around 1000-1500 numbers of each issue printed, most

of which given away free

Very rare (especially the last 8 issues) with complete runs

in Crawford and APRL

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 THE PHILATELIC WORLD …2

High quality journal

• Strong monthly editorial
• Interviews with Leading Indian Philatelists
• E. B. Evans’ monthly London Letters
• Usual scraps and titbits of information, reviews of
contents of other journals, and reprinted articles
• Minutes of the meetings of The Bengal Philatelic
Society

The demise
• Ended with formation of The Philatelic Society of
India and commencement of publication of its
journal The Philatelic Journal of India

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 WILLIAM WILMOT CORFIELD (1859 - 1919)

Background
• Started collecting in 1865 and had one of the oldest continuous general
collections in existence
• Accountant by profession
• Lived in India 1886-89 and then 1893-1911

Journalistic Activities
• Used the pseudonym Dâk (post) in many of his writings
• Co-edited The Philatelic World with C. F. Larmour for 17 of its 32 issues
• Co-edited The Philatelic Journal of India from a few months in 1898
• Co-author with C. S. F. Crofton on the Fiscal and Telegraph Stamps of British
India
• As a poet wrote Dâk Dicta and More Dâk Dicta in 1909/1910 Poet amongst Philatelists
Treasurer and Hon. Secretary of The Philatelic Society of India
from 1897-98 and 1900-1909 respectively

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 THE INDIAN POSTAGE STAMP NEWS

Edited by one P. E. Sakloth of Bombay

Published Sep 1894 to Sep 1895 (13 issues)

Surprisingly nice magazine with good

editorial and some original articles

Contemporary ads suggest a peak circulation

of 1000 copies

Very rare with complete runs in Crawford

and APRL

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 ABGAR’S PHILATELIC MONTHLY

Published / Edited by Stephen Abgar

• Calcutta based dealer who advertised heavily in
contemporary journals
• Editor of the philatelic department of Signs of
the Times
• Later started trading by the name of
Stephenson & Co.
• Indian Philatelist (Apr 1896) mentions that
Abgar was a young man, a schoolboy in fact,
who made hay while the sun shone

Only one issue of Dec 1894

Contains only advertisements

Very rare existing only in Crawford

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 THE QUARTERLY PHILATELIC CIRCULAR

Official Organ of Bombay Philatelic Society edited by J.

Seymour Summers, its Hon. Secretary

With IPSN going defunct and Indian Philatelist adopting a

hostile attitude, need for an inhouse journal felt

Published Jan to Oct 1896 (4 issues)

Demise possibly on account of lack of original articles and

advertisements

Given membership of society of 60, less than 100 numbers of

each issue likely printed

Extremely rare with complete run in Crawford (APRL

incomplete)

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 CAMPBELL’S MONTHLY ADVERTISER

Published by J. Campbell & Co., stamp dealers

from Calcutta

Issued Nov 1896 to May 1898 (19 issues)

Advertisements, philatelic and non-philatelic,

and also auction reports

Crawford missing all but Vol. II No. 1

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 THE PHILATELIC JOURNAL OF INDIA…1

Official Organ of The Philatelic Society of India

Published from Jan 1897 for almost a hundred years

First two volumes printed for members only; members

were 50 in Mar 1897 and 118 by Dec 1898

From 1899 made available to non-members

Scarce and difficult to make a complete run, even of initial

10-15 years

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 THE PHILATELIC JOURNAL OF INDIA…2

Contents
• One of the best philatelic magazines in the world!
• Pioneered articles on Indian Native States
• Original articles on foreign countries as well from Chile to Peru!
• Usual Notes and News and Reviews columns with some reprints
from foreign journals
• Golden age perhaps the first 15 years when each volume
numbered around 400 pages!

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 B. GORDON JONES (1872 – 1957)

Background
• Started collecting stamps in 1887
• Established a stamp dealing firm under his name in 1891
• Started The Philatelic World in Jul 1894 and edited its first two issues
• Conducted India’s first stamp auction in Sep 1894
• Sold to Universal Stamp Exchange in Aug 1895 and went to England
• Returned to start The Calcutta Philatelic Co. and the journal Stamps in Jul
1897
Journalistic Activities
• Edited his in-house journal Stamps for nine years
• Co-authored a couple of handbooks for The Philatelic Society of India
• Became its first Honorary member in Jan 1905
Philatelic Dealer and Writer
• Edited The Philatelic Journal of India from Apr 1907 to Jun 1908

Left India in 1908 but continued stamp dealing from London

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 STAMPS

Published by The Calcutta Philatelic Co. and edited by its

owner, B. Gordon Jones

Published Jul 1897 – Jul 1906 (59 issues)

Irregular in the last three years with only six issues

Mainly consisted of the editor’s notes and news and his

company’s advertisements

Extremely rare with a complete run only in Crawford

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PHILATELIC HANDBOOKS

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 POST OFFICE OF INDIA (1875)

First ‘philatelic’ handbook was

written by an Indian - Ananda Gopal
Sen, Post Master of Bankipur

Information on the Post Office viz.

its organization, rules, rates and
routes, progress etc.

Extremely rare with a handful of

copies existing

Reprint made by Philatelia, a

Calcutta based literature publisher,
in late 1990s

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 SPECIMENS OF VERNACULAR CHARACTERS (1877)

Written by a Postal Official – C. W. Hutchinson,

Post Master General of N. W. Provinces

Contains 70 different Indian scripts for

reference by postal staff

Print run of 500 copies and extremely rare

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 G. J. HYNES

Background
• Worked in The Presidency Bank of Bombay but on its failure joined postal
department in 1868
• Started stamp collecting in 1883 when Assistant Director General of Posts
• Investigations into India’s stamps led to publication of first stamp
catalogue in 1884
• Made a stamp collection for the Government of India
• Had the best personal collection of Indian stamps

The Philatelic Society of Bengal

• Founding President of the Society in Feb 1894
• Resigned on return to England on retirement in Aug 1894
The Philatelic Society of London One of the earliest Indian
• Involved in some its activities stamp collectors
• Resigned from membership in Jan 1901

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 DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF POSTAGE STAMPS…1 (1884)

In 1871, Lt. Col. G. B. Mainwaring (1825 –

1893) compiled a list of Indian postage
stamps from official sources

Published in The Stamp Collector’s

Magazine (Jan 1874)

In 1884, then Assistant Director General

of Indian Post Office, G. J. Hynes, reprinted
it as an official Postal publication

De La Rue & Co. corrected the list but only

for what they had printed and not the
1854-55 locally printed stamps

Edition of 200 copies and extremely rare

available in Crawford (with Bacon’s
bookplate)

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 DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF POSTAGE STAMPS…2 (1885)

Second edition followed in 1885.

This may well be India’s first
stamp album as well!

“Contains after each issue ruled

spaces for specimens of the
stamps, envelopes and postcards”
(Crawford Catalogue)

Extremely rare publication

available in Crawford

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 DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF POSTAGE STAMPS…3 (1890)

In the winter of 1889, Thomas K.

Tapling (1855 – 1891) visited India
and inquired into Indian stamps

Next year, he rewrote and revised

the 1885 list of Hynes

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 POSTAGE STAMPS OF BRITISH INDIA…1 (1892)

First philatelic book on India in

the conventional sense
published by The Philatelic
Society London

Consequence of Tapling’s
researches through Indian
postal records during his late
1889 India visit

Papers by Douglas Garth and T.

K. Tapling (his last) read before
the Society in early 1891 on the
first issues of 1854-55

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 POSTAGE STAMPS OF BRITISH INDIA…2 (1892)

Papers followed by a descriptive list of

Indian postage stamps, envelopes,
postcards, etc. to the end of Nov 1892

Appendix has important official

correspondence concerning the making
of India’s first issues

Of the 24 plates, 14 pertain to Indian

philatelic items

Famous (or not so) last words of Tapling,

“…satisfactory to think that we know now
all that is ever likely to be known of the
early Indian stamps”

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 POSTAGE STAMPS OF BRITISH INDIA…SUPPLEMENT (1896)

Underrated supplement to the

India and Ceylon book

Paper read by John A. Tilleard

(1850 – 1913) before The
Philatelic Society London in 1895

Concerns itself with the De La Rue

issues from 1855 onwards

Tilleard was then Hon. Secretary of

the Society and appointed
“Philatelist to His Majesty” in 1910

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 SIR CHARLES STEWART-WILSON (1864 – 1950)

Background
• Started collecting as a school boy but swapped his stamps for books of
Ruskin!
• Renewed his interest in 1894 when he was Deputy Director General of
the Post Office
• Joined The Philatelic Society of Bengal in Oct 1894 and elected its
President 20 days later!
• Founding President of The Philatelic Society of India 1897-1905
• Resigned as President when he was made the Director General of Posts
• Director General of Posts from 6 years between 1906 and 1913
Journalistic Activities
• Edited The Philatelic Journal of India 1898-1904 excepting 1902
• Wrote the handbooks on Indian Stamps Surcharged for Native States Father of Indian Philately
• Co-authored the famous The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of British
India with L. L. R. Hausburg
One amongst the initial signatories to RDP in 1921
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 BRITISH INDIAN STAMPS SURCHARGED (1897 AND 1898)

First publications of The

Philatelic Society of India

Written by the Society’s

President, C Stewart-
Wilson

Concerns with the stamps

of India surcharged for six
native states

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 POSTAGE STAMPS OF BHOPAL (1899)

Published by The Philatelic Society

of India

Concerns with the stamps of the

Feudatory State of Bhopal in
Central India

Contains 32 colour plates, unusual

for its time

One of the rarest Indian handbooks

since only 150 copies were printed
mainly for members
Images: The Royal Philatelic Society London

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 POSTAGE STAMPS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR (1900 AND 1901)

Two volumes on the stamps of the

Feudatory State of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir considered one of

the most difficult collecting areas
abounding in forgeries and reprints

Based on Sir David P. Masson’s (1847 -

1915) original researches and resulted
in part rewriting of Gibbons catalogue

Remarkably Masson started collecting

stamps only in 1895/96

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PRICE LISTS AND AUCTION
CATALOGUES

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 INDIAN DEALER PRICE LISTS…1

Ram Gopal & Co was an early stamp

dealers from possibly late 1880s

From a small town in Rajasthan

4th Edition from 1892. Crawford has

7th edition from 1896.

Summers was later the Hon.

Secretary of the Bombay Philatelic
Society

Not a price list exactly but a private

treaty sale

Published 1890 in Bombay

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 INDIAN DEALER PRICE LISTS…2

B. Gordon Jones’ price list in

his first stamp dealing avatar

4th edition from 1893 from

Crawford

Bottliwalla was one of the earliest

Indian dealers from 1882

Unlike most other dealers also

carried stock of Scinde Dawks and
India’s first issues of 1854-55

1892 price list from Crawford

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 AUCTION CATALOGUES OF B. GORDON JONES

First Auction in India held by B.

Gordon Jones on 15 Sep 1894

Auctioneer was C. F. Larmour and

sale attended by 20 collectors and
three dealers

While the Bombay journals did not

think auction was a success, The
Philatelic World, (of course) did!

For a long time Jones / B. Gordon

Jones & Co. was the only auctioneer
in India

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 EARLY INDIAN
PHILATELIC LITERATURE TO 1900

www.philaliterature.com
abhishek@philaliterature.com