Thread by @stampden

In 1937, my grandfather, a philatelist living in #India, bought this "George VI Series, 1937" presentation booklet. In the late '70s, he gave it to me as a budding young collector. The stamps inside have seen the light of day only half a dozen times in 80+ years.
#philately

First and last pages.

The second page tells the story of this series of definitive stamps.

The center spread, with stamps stored in glassine pockets.

Over the next several days I'll scan each of these stamps in glorious 1200dpi, at 1000px along the longest edge, and add them to this thread.

The first 4 more conventionally designed defin. #stamps differ from the previous issues in that the King's head & shoulders are framed by a pointed arch of the Saracenic type, typical of Moghul buildings in India.

This is the lowest value stamp in the set:
1937 3Ps KGVI slate

The Indian (Sacred) Lotus, adorns each of the upper corners of the first four KGVI head stamps in this series. Deeply rooted in India's art, religion, and mythology, the Lotus is the National Flower of India.

1937 ½A (6Ps) KGVI brown

The portrait of KGVI is based on the KGV portrait on banknotes. Shown below is a mock up of KGVI's head superimposed on the KGV portrait design. Left and Right facing mock ups were considered as debate raged over which way he should face.

1937 9Ps KGVI green

The 1A carmine stamp was also issued in booklets of 4 panes of 4 stamps (16 stamps) with interleaves of vallum paper, printed with various advertisements of postal services such as "Use Business Reply", as well as an advertisement for Chevrolet cars.

1937 KGVI 1A carmine

Prior to this series, pictorial stamps had only been used for commemorative issues. The 8 "regular" issue stamps in this series, from the 2As to 12As values, depict a very colonial outlook on the progression of mail conveyance in India from primitive to modern, Indian to English.

Dak ("post") Runners were mail couriers, who traveled by foot to deliver a bag of mail. It could be a dangerous job and runners carried a spear for protection. In a 2-year span in the early 1920s, 7 runners lost their lives in 57 attempted robberies.

1937 2As Dak Runner scarlet

The Dak Bullock Cart was used primarily for baggage, parcels and the transport of goods. The PO maintained bullock trains on various routes that the military would commandeer in times of mutiny/unrest to transport troops.

1937 2As 6Ps Dak Bullock Cart purple

Given the slow speed of the Dak Runners, coupled with their 15-seer weight limit, runners were phased out in favour of horse-couriers and the dak tonga. The "tonga" was a light-weight, two-wheeled cart that could be drawn by horses or oxen.

1937 3As Dak Tonga yellow green

Camels were utilized to transport mail in India from the 17th century. With the advent of the tonga and motorized vehicles, they were most effectively employed in areas those vehicles could not access, such as the desert districts of Rajasthan.

1937 3As 6Ps Dak Camel ultramarine

The early days of conveying mail by train in India was marked by regular disputes between the rail companies and the government over payment for the service, in addition to the provision, maintenance and costs of hauling postal vans for mail sorters.

1937 4As Mail Train dk brown

The 6As stamp depicts a P&O mail steamer transporting mail to and from Indian shores. P&O's Indian mail service was inaugurated in 1842 with the purpose-built wooden paddle steamer, Hindostan. It was the largest and most luxurious in the fleet.

1937 6As Mail Steamer peacock blue

Gradually replacing horse or bullock-drawn mail carriages where roads and conditions allowed, automotive mail vans were often modified commercial vehicles, that also allowed for the conveyance of goods and people.

1937 8As Mail Lorry blue violet

The 12As stamp depicts an Armstrong Whitworth mail plane on the England-India service; the first flight of which occurred 30 March 1929 by Imperial Airways. Trivia: the world's first airmail was flown in India, 18 Feb 1911.

1937 12As Mail Plane car lake

The last stamp in the 1937 KGVI series presentation pack, was the 1R KGVI Head, reverting to the 1911 design used during the KGV era.

Thanks for reading!

1937 1R KGVI brown & slate

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