Oman Online Stamp Catalogue

Indian Administration

November 20, 1944 - Bicentenary of the Al bu-Said Dynasty

1 ^a	2 ^a	3 ^a	4 ^a
5 ^a	6 ^a	7 ^a	8 ^a
9 ^a	10 ^a	11 ^a	12 ^a
13 ^a
14 ^b		15 ^b
		Pearl Flaw 1	Pearl Flaw 2

Description

Indian stamps from the period of 1937-1943 depicting King George VI overprinted with "Al bu-Said 1363" in Arabic letters. They were in use from November 20 to December 31, 1944 and were withdrawn from sale on January 1, 1945. Most usage is of a philatelic nature.

Detailed information about this issue is given in the article "The Al Bu Sa'id Bicentennial Issue of 1944" in The Arab World Philatelist, Issue 4, pp.10. The quantities sold in Muscat which are given in the table are taken from this article (numbers in parentheses are stamps that were delivered to Muscat). The issue was also on sale at the philatelic branch of the Bombay post office for which no delivered/sold quantities are known.

Data

#	Value	Quantity	Size	Sheet Size (x*y)	Watermark	Perforation	Design	Printing
1	3 Pies	3,840 (5,120)	[?]	320	Multiple Stars	13½ x 14	[?]	[?]
2	½ Anna	5,120 (5,440)
3	9 Pies	5,440 (5,440)
4	1 Anna	7,360 (7,360)
5	1½ Annas	7,020 (8,960)
6	2 Annas	5,440 (5,440)
7	3 Annas	4,848 (5,120)
8	3½ Annas	4,928 (5,760)
9	4 Annas	4,672 (5,440)
10	6 Annas	4,656 (5,760)
11	8 Annas	4,656 (5,120)
12	12 Annas	4,560 (5,120)
13	14 Annas	4,768 (5,280)	[?]	160
14	1 Rupee	4,318 (5,040)	[?]	120
15	2 Rupees	4,247 (5,040)	[?]	120

Remarks

Forged overprints are known of these stamps.

1	This stamp is known with an inverted watermark.
5	This stamp is known with a double overprint.
6	This stamp is known with an inverted watermark.
7	This stamp is known with an inverted watermark.
15	Two "pearl flaws" exist which were caused by dirt on the plate of the original Indian stamp. They are found in the border of dots around the "2 Rs." Pearl Flaw 1 The 11^th dot to the right of the upper left corner dot (above the space in "2 Rs.") is missing. Pearl Flaw 2 The dot to the right of the lower left corner dot is missing.