Forgeries of the adhesives: Crude forgeries exist at least of the 1p and 2as., with faked postmarks. The 1p forgery is not perforated, and the 2as. is perf 11 instead of the correct gauge 12 ^½. Derek Bates has further forgeries, some more close to the originals than my own: two copies of the 1 paiso are reasonably accurate, but both show a constant break at right of the top outer frame and the lettering is coarser (Fig.10). Imperf in green colour is shown in Fig. 11. Status of the stamp is not known.

Fig.: 10	Fig.: 11

The perforation is about right but the margins between stamps are too wide so the overall dimensions of entire stamps are too large - about 23 x 25mm. Both have a rectangular obliterator of seven bars with R in the centre - in English, like Renouf type 8, not the Nagri script of the genuine.

Imperf single die forgeries of the 2as. and 4as. are on toned wove and should fool no-one, and one of the 4as. from the same die is roughly perf about 11 and shows a trace of an obliteration. I suspect these are modern productions.

Unissued designs: Ken Robbins has sent an extract from Stanley Gibbons stock lists of November 1994, illustrating a series of six stamps inscribed in English only: RAJPIPLA 1 ANNA POSTAGE, described as 'c1900 bicoloured essays, with portrait of Raja in black, perf 11¹/₂. Six examples, litho to a high standard, in different frame colours,(Fig. 12) each with green underprint SPECIMEN, some with part gum.(Fig. 13) The frame design shows a steamship and steam train in the upper corners. Previously unknown to us'..

Fig.: 12

Fig.: 13

Two similar stamps were offered in the second Couvreur sale (R. Lowe, Sept. 1981), which may be the source of two recently shown to me in a photocopy by Geoff Rosamund. An article on them appeared in the Philatelic Journal of India, Sept. 1977, but so far all efforts to obtain a copy from sources in the U.K. have failed. Assuming that the portrait is authentic, it must be that of Chhatra Singhji though if so more flattering and younger than on his revenue stamp of 1903. It is inconceivable that any revival of the state post could occur after merger in 1886, and highly improbable that designs inscribed only in English depicting a steamship would have been acceptable for this small landlocked state - although the State Arms (described below) do include a sailing ship. The most likely explanation is, that like the 'Bhopal' essays recently discussed in India Post 'Queries & Answers' column, they were a speculative production on the part of a printer, who if he really hoped to sell quantities to the State had not done his market research first. Perhaps they were no more than commercial travellers' samples with a random placename.

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