King Edward VII Surcharged

The ½ anna was surcharged with black ¼ anna in 1905 and issued to compensate for the shortage of the 3 pies stamps. A total of 24 million surcharged ½ anna stamps were issued.

There was a plan to use the same stamps for postage and revenue purposes of ½ and 1 anna stamps. A new design with the inscription ‘INDIA POSTAGE AND REVENUE’ was used in ½ anna (green) and 1 anna (carmine) stamps issued in 1906-07. These stamps were also used in booklet form in 1907, prepared in Calcutta.