India Queen Victoria, 1/2 Anna Blue, First Issue

India · 1854 · 1/2 Anna

This stamp is India's first issue, featuring a youthful portrait of Queen Victoria in a rectangular frame with ornamental corners. Printed in blue by the Surveyor-General's Office in Calcutta, it was the first stamp produced in Asia. The design is simple yet iconic, marking the beginning of postal services in British India.

Issued in 1854, this stamp represents the formalization of the postal system under the British East India Company, just a few years before the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the subsequent transfer of power to the British Crown.