BENGALURU: Philately enthusiasts in the city and across the country were delighted when India Post released their coffee-scented stamps on April 23. The last aromatic stamp was released nearly a decade ago, in 2008, and it carried the fragrance of the mallige or jasmine.
India Post’s first aromatic stamp, released in 2006, was perfumed with sandalwood. Respected philatelists in the city, including Jayprakash Sarda and Girish Kumar VN, say that this remains their favourite aromatic stamp and that their collection still retains its fragrance.
The third issue from India Post was rose-scented in 2007. Many collectors of aromatic stamps in the Karnataka Philatelic Society have collected all the four aromatic stamps of Indian origin.
Waiting from 8 am
Girish Kumar was the first in India to buy from the sandalwood issue. “I was the first to arrive at the GPO the day it was released,” he says. “I was there at about 8 in the morning and the office was empty and I could buy the stamp only by 10.30 am,” he recalls fondly. Kumar was also quick to procure the first aromatic stamp issue in the world, by Bhutan in 1975.
He now owns as many as 82 to 90 such stamps including ones that smell of Thai rose, Brazilian wood and coffee, and Swiss chocolate.
These stamps are bought from various dealers, Thai dealers are particularly popular. Among Indian dealers, ones from Kolkata and Mumbai are preferred.
Aromatic stamps mostly have fragrances like of flowers and chocolates, but a few countries issue stamps with outlandlish scents.
Feels like Human Skin
Akshay of the Karnataka Philatelic Society has two Chinese stamps – one smells of raw fish and the other, pig’s flesh. His is an eccentric collection that includes stamps made of cloth, ones embedded with swarovski crystals and dust from a real comet, and one that feels like human skin to touch.
President of the Karnataka Philatelic Society K Chaitanya Dev says that people rarely focus on aromatic stamps. These are part of a person’s larger collection, says Dev who has all the four India Post issues but spends his energies in collecting stamps from French India.
Dev collects postal stamps released by the French Postal System in India and also has an extensive collection from post-independent India.
Sarda says that he has built his aromatic and unique stamp collection for his youngest daughter. “I want my daughter to cultivate an interest in philately,” he says.
Besides the India Post issues, his collection includes an aromatic coffee stamp from Portugal which is part of the ‘5 Senses’ series. Each stamp in this collection caters to one of the five human senses. In addition to this, he has chocolate-scented stamps from Liberia and France.
Akshay, with his quirky collection, says that he has always been fascinated by philately even as a child.
“Then we had to look through different catalogues and source from dealers,” he says. “It was a very time-consuming process and took at least a few months to get these stamps.”
Akshay says that it is easier to collect stamps these days thanks to the online marketplace. “Youngsters should make use of this great opportunity,” he says.
Preserving the Fragrance
Aromatic stamps require careful storage and collectors employ various methods to retain the longevity of the fragrance. Dev, for instance, uses mounts.
These are special plastic coverings coated with preservative chemicals that can be bought from various dealers like Prinz. However, Dev says that these mounts are still not manufactured in India and have to be imported. Others such as Sarda, Akshay and Kumar use plastic coverings, single or double wrapped to preserve the aroma.
Where to Start
For those who would like to start on this collection, especially aromatic stamps, Dev suggests the best way to begin is by collecting stamps on postage. He also recommends that those interested attend meetings of philately clubs. The Karnataka Philatelic Society meets at the GPO every first Sunday of the month from 11 am.