2018-10-20 Sat

Philately is the study of stamps, postal history and other related materials and the person who pursues this hobby is called a philatelist. There are many persons notable for their contributions to philately. One of them is Jal Manekji Cooper, an expert of the postage stamps and postal history of India.

Born in a Parsi household in Mumbai, Jal Cooper was an internationally acclaimed philatelist. He edited ‘India’s Stamp Journal’ and founder of the first Philatelic Bureau in India.

Having started his career as a postage stamp collector, Cooper achieved an expertise of a philatelist at the international level. He gave a scientific bent to his hobby. He was also founded the ‘Empire of India Philatelic Society’.

He went on to write many books on this subject and played a pivotal role in taking the study of Indian postage stamps to the international level. The India Post has issued the ‘Jal Cooper’ stamp in 1977. These stamps are an important source to understand his significant contribution to this field.

Image Source: Mintage World