Zanzibar 1895-96 on India 5r ultramarine and violet variety, SG21k

Zanzibar 1895-86 on India 5r ultramarine and violet, overprint Type 1, printing variety inverted "r", SG21k.

A fine and fresh mint example with large part original gum.

A very rare printing variety with less than 10 examples recorded.

Accompanied with a 2007 British Philatelic Association (BPA) Certificate of Authenticity.

The process of applying the “Zanzibar” overprint to Indian stamps was performed manually by native “craftsmen” at the office of the Zanzibar Gazette. As a result of the manual process, there are an abundance of errors which occurred making them a fascinating and curious area of stamp errors to collect. It is an area of specialisation which has captivated collectors from all over the world.

This error with the inverted “r” is highly visual and also extremely rare. As such, we consider the current value to be significantly below its potential value virtue of its rarity and desirability.