2018-09-12 Wed

A Watermark is a distinct and an important feature of stamps and is a challenging subject to the philatelists. A watermark is the only feature to distinguish a common stamp from a rare one. Over the time, postal agencies throughout the world have used watermarked papers as a security measure against counterfeiting.

Watermarks are made during the paper manufacture process by intentionally impressing an image into the still-wet paper. Where the image is impressed, the paper is thinner and the image can be seen by holding the paper up to a light. Early stamps were generally printed on watermarked paper.

There have been countless watermarks used worldwide since the first stamp was issued. In the countries such as Great Britain, a watermark is an inextricable feature of their entire postal history. Numerous types of watermarks appear on the British stamps. Being a part of the British Empire they appear on the stamps issued in the colonies also. India was no exception.

We have traced the history of Watermarks on Indian Stamps in a blog. Click here to read an interesting blog of this “Other Side of stamps”.

Image Courtesy: Mintage World