Hyderabad Philately and Hobbies Society recently organised a three-day exhibition to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first postage stamps of Hyderabad State. These stamps were issued by Hyderabad State on 8th September 1869 and were used for six years. They were produced in London and their lines were engraved by Rapkin. Each plate had the capacity to print 160 stamps together. The plate was manufactured by Nission and Parker in London. The quality of designs featured on Hyderabad State stamps was much better when compared to stamps issued by other princely states in those days.

Around 158 rare stamps from the Ewari Family Collection were showcased at the Bikaner House in Delhi in March this year. The collection contains the world’s first stamp called 'Penny Black' issued by Britain in 1840, and more than 150 rare postal stamps issued by the Nizams for Hyderabad State.

They featured four different languages Marathi, Telugu, English and Persian and Urdu so that people belonging to different cultures could comprehend them. Many stamp designs were created in Hyderabad by local artists. They were transported to England for manufacturing the plate engravings and finally, the stamps were printed in India. Hyderabad Stamps highlight the state’s culture by depicting beautiful calligraphy, diverse languages and amazing architectural structures. Some stamps depict the monogram 'Sarkar-e-Asafiya' as the Nizams belonged to the Asaf Jahi dynasty. One stamp was based on the World War II theme, showing a soldier coming back to his wife and child. A special series was issued in 1937. One of the stamps in this series features a portrait of King George VI. Others highlighted the modes of transportation used in India to deliver mail. Stamps featuring Ajanta caves and Kakatiya gateway were also issued. Hyderabad was one of the earliest princely states to accept and implement a postal system. They continued printing stamps from 1869 until it became a part of India in 1949.

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