INDIAN STATES, Las Bela, Morvi, Nandgaon and Nawanagar

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Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

Many forgeries exist of the Indian States: see the excellent site http://www.princelystates.com/CurrentIssue/ff-04-01a.shtml for more information.

LAS BELA

1879 Inscription "LAS BELA STATE" or "LAS BELA"

  1/2 a black on blue
  1 a black on red (1901)

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1/2 a	*	*
1 a	**	**

In 1907 Las Bela stopped issuing its own stamps.

Most likely a forgery. "L" of "LAS" slanting backwards, dot in front of this letter. "E" of "BELA" has a smudge on top of it. The printing looks rather poor compared to a genuine stamp.

MORVI

Morvi issued stamps from 1931 on, examples:

(Inscription "MORVI STATE POSTAGE")

NANDGAON (Nandgam)

1892, Large stamps, inscription "FEUDATORY STATE RAJ NANDGAM C P" (CP = Central Provinces)

Reduced sizes

  1/2 a blue
  2 a red

Surcharged with "M.B.D." (actually a cancel)

(Sorry, no picture available yet)

  1/2 a blue
  2 a red

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1/2 a	*	**
2 a	**	***
Surcharged with 'M.B.D.' (actually a cancel)
1/2 a	-	**
2 a	-	***

I do not know if genuinely used cancelled stamps exist. I've seen many stamps with a "RAJ NANDGAON 23 DE" cancel (sometimes with year '98' added on the next issues).

Stamp with "NANDGAON 23 DE" cancel

Forgeries exist, printed in sheets of 6 with minor varieties in each of the six forgeries. They have "OP" instead of "CP".

Another very badly printed forgery, next to it a forgery of the next issue probably made by the same forger. It is printed on the same brownish paper.

A whole bunch of forgeries of different states, all made by the same forger, I presume.

1893 Indian inscriptions in an ellipse

  1/2 a green
  1 a red
  2 a red

Surcharged with 'M.B.D.'
  1/2 a green
  1 a red
  1 a brown (reprint)
  1 a blue (reprint)
  2 a red

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1/2 a	*	**
1 a red	*	**
2 a	*	**
Surcharged with 'M.B.D.' (actually a cancel)
1/2 a	-	**
1 a red	-	**
1 a brown	-	?	Reprint
1 a blue	-	?	Reprint
2 a	-	**

Reprints with "PAJ NANDGAON 23 DE. 98" cancel.

Forgeries:

Another very badly printed forgery, next to it a forgery of the previous issue probably made by the same forger. It is listed in http://www.princelystates.com/CurrentIssue/ff-04-01d.shtml.

NAWANAGAR

1877 Sword

  1 p blue

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 p	c	*

Modern forgery.

1890 Four lines of Indian text

  1 p black on red
  2 p black on green
  3 p black on yellow

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 p	*	**
2 p	*	***
3 p	*	***

I've been told that the next stamps are forgeries:

(Forgeries)

Fournier forgeries from a 'Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries' with "FAUX" overprint.I don't know the distinguishing characteristics, left two images reduced sizes.

Forgeries as sold by the forger Fournier (reduced sizes); images found in a 'Fournier Album'. From left to right; a forgery of Fardikot, one from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Nawanagar.

Another set of forgeries from the Fournier Album, the last one is from Nawanagar.

Sheet of forgeries in wrong color orange.

1893 Arms, with indian text

  1 p black
  2 p green
  3 p orange

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 p	*	**
2 p	**	**
3 p	**	***

The cancel on this stamp is not the usual cancel, probably some kind of remainder cancel.

Imperforate forgeries exist with the central arms design different (and other minor differences). I've seen the same forgery perforated (1 p black).

Imperforate forgeries, reduced sizes