Type 9, top panel

Type 10, top panel

"RA" detail, both types

Detail of "grid effect"
(click to enlarge)

New Dungarpur Revenue- David Heppell

While checking a small collection of Dungapur revenue stamps for possible Rajasthan overprints, I noticed that there were two distinct sizes of type used for the inscriptions of the design listed as "Type 9" in the Koeppel & Manners catalogue of The Court Fee and Revenue Stamps of the Princely States of India. To distinguish between these I refer those with the larger type to a new Type 10. The length of the Devanagari script "Ra" in the inscription "Rajya Dungapur" in the top panel of the design is probably the easiest way to separate the two types, both of which occur with Rajasthan overprints. Koeppel & Manners list four values of their "Type 9", 1a, 4a, 8a and 1 rupee, all printed over a different coloured background of fine vertical lines and with more than one colour or shade variety for all values except the 1a. The period of use of these revenues is stated to be 1932-48, with later use overprinted for Rajasthan. In some examples of Type 10 the fine lines of the background colour appear to form a horizontal and vertical grid, most easily seen in the blank panel on which the serial number is handstamped. Under high magnification, however, this seems to be an optical illusion due to the lines breaking up when printed on a cancellated paper.

Although these stamps are common it is too soon to know whether all values (and which colours) are to be found with either inscription type. Koeppel & Manners also list two error varieties: "Dungarpu" for "Dungarpur" in the top panel on the 1a and, in their Supplement, "var annas" for "char annas" in the Hindi value panel on the 4a green/green. In the following table I have marked the values and colours I have seen, with or without Rajasthan overprints, with an "X". Additions to these would be very welcome and will be reported in a future edition of the PSR.