GwaliorFirst Postage Stamp

It’s never just an overprint

Gwalior became one of India’s Convention States on 1 July 1885, entering a postal agreement with British India. The first issue comprised eight overprinted British Indian stamps, with denominations ranging from ½ anna to 1 rupee. On early issues, GWALIOR appears in different positions relative to the Hindi inscription, while the spacing, length and setting of the two lines also vary. Later varieties include the small G, small R, tall R, and plenty of other flavours of the overprint. Unsurprisingly, market values vary depending on which overprint ended up across the Queen’s portrait, and some stamp catalogues such as Stanley Gibbons devote an entire page to these varieties alone. Gwalior continued using these overprints through the reigns of Victoria, Edward VII, George V, and George VI. They were replaced by Republic of India stamps 64 years later, on 1 April 1950, but remained valid until 31 December. By then, what looked like a simple state overprint had become a whole collecting field of its own.