Page 2 - Standing Display

THE EARLY REVENUE HISTORY OF KISHANGARH

Prof. Paul J. Phillips

The postage stamps of the Princely State of Kishangarh have received much attention over the
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years, the 2001 article by Rover being particularly informative and comprehensive , however
the revenue stamps and revenue papers which preceded them by many years have received
scant attention. The standard work “The Court Fee and Revenue Stamps of the Princely States
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of India” , although a magnificent piece of work, covering revenue paper and revenue stamps,
on a very large subject is now quite old and not very accurate on the early history of some states.
This state is of particular interest to the author because of the significance of the revenue papers
and revenue stamps which actually preceded the issue of postage stamps by 28 and 15 years
respectively. Recent acquisitions have established the year of 1871 to be positively identified as
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that of the first issue of revenue paper, quite different from the 1896 of the standard work . The
major objective of this exhibit is to rewrite the early revenue history, giving much new
information.

EXHIBIT PLAN

I. 1871 Introduction of Revenue Papers……………………………………..……………...1.3

II. 1884 First Issue of Revenue Stamps & Change in Document Size…………………….2.2

IIA Oil printed stamps………………………………………………………………..…2,2

IIB 1 & 2A watercolour stamps……………………….………………………………..2.4

IIC 4 annas watercolour stamps………………………………………………….……4.7

III. The Innovations of 1893-1895…………………………………………………………..7.1

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IIIa Continued use of 1 Type Document Papers……………………………………..7.1

IIIb. 1893 Eight Annas Revenue Papers…………………………………………..…...8.2

IIIc. 1895 Second Issue of Revenue Stamps…………………………………………...9.6

Postscript……………………………………………………………………………………12.9

All the revenue papers are too large to fit into an exhibit page or into a regular size scanner. So this type of format

of an exhibit allows for the use of reduced copies, reduced sections and enlarged view of features. It also make it
possible to introduce newer methods if investigating stamps that are able to be shown as micrographs – much
more useful than a magnifying glass at the frames. The digital microscopy that is used has been used by the
exhibitor, professionally, for fifteen years as a professor in materials science & engineering

1. P.Rover, “Kishengarh 1899 – 1999: The Strange Story of the Foundation of a State Post”, India Post, 2001,
Issue 147, pps 5 – 18.
2. A. Koeppel & R.D. Manners, “The Court Fee and Revenue Stamps of the Princely States of India”, Fiscal
Philatelic Foundation, Mineola, NY, 1983 1