India, 1854 4 Annas, Inverted Head

India · 1854 · 4 Annas

This iconic stamp features a portrait of Queen Victoria, printed in red and blue. It is famous for its dramatic error, where the central portrait vignette was printed upside down in relation to the frame. This was the world's first bicolored stamp to be produced with an inverted head error.

Issued during the period of British East India Company rule, this stamp was part of India's first postage stamp series. The error occurred during the complex two-color printing process at the Surveyor-General's office in Calcutta.