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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Choonilal Devkaran Nanjee
| honorific_suffix =
| image =Chunnilal Devkaran Nanjee.jpg
| image_upright =
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| alt = 
| caption = C.D. Desai
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| birth_date = 1890
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| death_date = 1948
| death_place = [[Bombay]], India
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| occupation = [[Commodity trader]], [[Financier]], [[Philatelist]]
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| organization = Devkaran Nanjee Banking Co. Ltd. ([[Dena Bank]])
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| children = Lalitchandra C. D. Nanjee (son)
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'''Choonilal Devkaran Nanjee''' (1890–1948), also known as '''C. D. Desai''', was a twentieth-century Indian [[commodity trader]], [[financier]], and [[philatelist]].

== Financial career ==

Desai was a senior partner in the firm of Messrs. Devkaran Nanjee and Sons, stock, cotton, bullion and exchange [[broker]]s. He was also the honorary Treasurer of the [[Bombay Stock Exchange]] and one of the founding directors of Devkaran Nanjee Banking Co. Ltd. (later renamed the [[Dena Bank]]), on 26 May 1938, and other allied companies with his brother [[Pranlal Devkaran Nanjee]].

== Philatelic career ==

He made many discoveries among the 1854 [[lithography|lithographed]] stamps of India and formed an outstanding collection of these classic issues with the assistance of [[Jal Cooper]]. Desai's collection included many items of extreme rarity. It featured the unique [[Mint stamp|unused]] [[Postage stamp block|block]] of 14 of the white [[Scinde Dawk]] stamp.<ref>[[Robson Lowe|Lowe, Robson]], ''Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps,'' v. III (1951), p. 151.</ref> His collection included the finest known example of the famous 1854 [[Inverted Head 4 Annas|Head Inverted Four Annas stamp]], cut square and on cover, as well as a second cut square example of this rarity.

As Jal Cooper noted,
:"The late Mr. Desai had few equals in the realm of Indian philately. .... His helping hand was a constant source of solace to many Indian dealers and there was a regular pilgrimage to his home from dealers in other parts of India."<ref>[[Jal Cooper|Cooper, Jal]], "Foreword" to the auction catalog: ''The Unique Collection of India offered by order of the Executors of the late Mr. C. D. Desai, F.R.P.S.L.,'' Robson Lowe (London), 25 and 26 May 1949. Sale Nos. 838-841.</ref>

Collaborating with Sir [[Eric Studd]], he discovered the 1854 [[anna (coin)|One Anna]] Red Die I "Substituted Transfer". He also found the [[typography|typographed]] Two Annas yellowish grey-green of 1854 on a previously unknown paper [[watermark]]ed ''One Anna'', Later in year 2010, Markand Dave FRPSL had published a detail paper on this subject of "1854 Two Annas on ONE ANA Watermark" in London Philatelist (The journal of The Royal Philatelic Society London) with one N in ANA, where Mr.Desai has reported two N in ANNA.<ref>[[Robson Lowe|Lowe, Robson]], ''Encyclopedia of British Empire Postage Stamps,'' v. III (1951), pp. 163, 165.</ref>

The Desai collection was offered for sale to the public in 917 lots by Messrs [[Robson Lowe]], philatelic auctioneers, on 25 and 26 May May 1949. The [[auction]] included his collection of "[[Scinde Dawk]]" stamps and the [[Postage stamps and postal history of India#The Reforms of 1854 and the First Issues|1854 issues of India]].

He was a Fellow of the [[Royal Philatelic Society London]].

==Death==
Desai died in Bombay in 1948. He was survived by his son, Lalitchandra C. D. Nanjee, who later became Chairman of [[Dena Bank]], Devkaran Nanjee Insurance Co. and Devkaran Nanjee Investment Co.<ref>{{cite book|title=Kothari's Economic Guide and Investors' Handbook of India|date=1969|publisher=Kothari.|pages=59,781,822|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N5YjAQAAMAAJ&q=C.+D.+NANJEE|access-date=15 September 2017|language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, C. D.}}
[[Category:Indian bankers]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian philatelists]]
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in textiles]]

Choonilal Devkaran Nanjee - Revision history

>Citation bot at 03:11, 18 March 2021