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Auction: 22017 - Jewels of India
Lot: 1

India
1852 Scinde Dawk
½a. white with large margins all round, cancelled by cogwheel handstamp presently affixed to native wrapper addressed to Larkanah; the seal a little toned with horizontal creases aligned with wrapper folds, though the impression fine and relatively fresh. B.P.A. Certificate (2018). S.G. S1, £3,000++

Notes: As the first 'potage stamp' to be used in Asia, the 1852 Scinde Dawk issue is of undeniable historic and philatelic importance.

Sir Bartle Frere of the East India Company on his appointment as Commissioner of Sindh was tasked with improving its postal system. It is understood the Frere was met with some resistance to the endeavour owing to its perceived cost. Frere wrote that "as we believed that post offices were not luxuries ... we got the stamps ... manufactured by De La Rue & Co". To avoid over-expenditure no new post offices were built, instead Government offices were charged with the duty of forwarding on mail.

Together with Edward Less Coffey, the Postmaster of Karachi, Frere introduced uniform penny postage, replaced runners with horses and camels and introduced the Scinde Dawk to cover the cost of the service. The new postal service resulted in a gain of eleven hours between Hyderabad and Sukkar and an increase in weight of mail carried of 7lb. As such the 'Scinde Dawk' is a token of India's modernisation.

The 'stamps' bear the Merchants' Mark of the British East India Company and, being impressed into wax, were susceptible to cracking. Examples free of cracks are exceptionally hard to find.

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Sold for
£6,500

Starting price
£2000