My Philatelic World

Theme Specific Stamps - Al Aqsa Mosque

2011-12-12T01:24:00.000-08:00

Al-Aqsa Mosque - "the Farthest Mosque", is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The site on which the silver domed mosque sits, along with the Dome of the Rock, also referred to as al-Haram ash-Sharif or "Noble Sanctuary," is the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, the place where the Temple is generally accepted to have stood.

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (MPBUH) was transported from the Khana-e-Ka'aba, the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, to al-Aqsa during the Night Journey. Islamic tradition holds that Prophet Muhammad (MPBUH) led prayers towards this site until the seventeenth month after the emigration, when God directed Him to turn towards the Ka'aba.

The Al Aqsa Mosque thus reserves a very high esteemed place in the hearts of all Muslims of the world and many countries have issued commemorative stamps bearing the photograph of this ancient historical mosque. Some of the stamps are given below:

Research Reference: Wikipedia

Theme Specific Stamps: Nelson Mandela of South Africa

2011-11-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

The name of Nelson Mandela will go down in history for he is a living legend which stood against the apartheid rule and finally won over independence for his native country South Africa. He spent 27 long years of his youth in most notorious prisons of South Africa, was tortured, put in solitary confinement and made to do hard labour like criminals. But his determination never waned and everyday he started his life in slavery with a renewed resolve to rid his fellow countrymen from the yoke of slavery one day.

That big day did come in his life and he stood tall above his previous masters with no vengeance, but with humility and love for everyone that lives in South Africa.

While he was honoured and crowned with many laurels and awards, including the 1993 Nobel Prize fro Peae, which he shared with Frederik Willem de Klerk, many countries have issued commemorative stamps bearing his portrait to salute his efforts for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. Herein under are some of these stamps:

[via Hobby Shobbys]

Postal History and Stamps of Serbia

2011-10-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

Shared from: Hobby Shobbys

First stamp of Serbia 1866

Serbia issued its first stamp in 1866 and continued issuing its stamps till 120 when its postal system was merged with that of the former Austro-Hungarian territories. After the Nazi Germany established Nedić's Serbiain 1941 it issued its own stamps until 1944. Initially, Yugoslavian stamps were simply overprinted in German with the word Serbien.

Yugoslavia stamp with overprint Serbien 1941

Later regular issues were inscribed both Serbien and Србија (Serbia).

Airmail stamp with Serbia overprint - 1942

A 1942 issue reprinted with "Bombardment of City of Nis" in 1943

From 1944 onward, Serbia was part of Yugoslavia.

First Serbian Stamp issued in 2006 after independance

Upon the dissolution of the union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, Serbia began issuing its own stamps once more. The Post of Serbia issues the country's stamps.

Serbia issued a set of 18 stamps on the eve of FIFA World Cup Football held in South Africa 2010.

The stamp showed flags of all 32 countries that participated in the tournament.

The stamps above showed the national flags of South Africa and Serbia in the background

Postal History/First Serbian stamp courtesy: Wikipedia

Postage Stamps of Men of Silver Screen

2011-10-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Shared from: Hobby Shobbys

The celebrities of the silver screen has always fascinated people wanting entertainment and fun. The film makers of Hollywood have a special place in introducing actors of highest repute and recognition - something that has been acknowledged by various countries by issuing postage stamps commemorating some of the big names of the silver screen.

Herein under is a selection of commemorative stamps from around the world. All these stamps appear in alphabetical order. No names however been written as each face is a famous and familiar face for most of the movie goers around the world.

Romanian stamps from my collection

2011-09-06T00:49:00.001-07:00

Awhile ago, I posted a collection of stamps from my stamp album which carried some antique paintings. Today I am sharing another page from collection of Romanian stamps as under:

These stamps date back to the 60s and 70s. The Stamps on reptiles above were issued in 1965 and is part of a set of 10 stamps. The other stamps of the set are as under:

Related: Paintings on Romanian stamps

Postage stamps of Pakistan - 1969 from my collection

2011-08-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

Chitagong, East Pakistan has the distinction of having on its soil the first steel mills of Pakistan. On the eve of its inauguration, Pakistan Post issued a 15 Paisa stamp showing the building of the steel mills on 7 January 1969.

Pakistan Post issued a 15 Paisa stamp on the theme of Family Planning on 14 February 1969. The purple and blue stamp ironically coincided with the Valentine's Day.

Pakistan rose to prominence in the field of hockey when it bagged its first Olympic gold in the 1960 Rome Olympics, but lost the title to India in 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The 1968 Olympics at Mexico thus become important for Pakistan to regain the lost title. The team under famous Olympian Tariq Aziz worked very hard and clinched the title from India and became the Olympic champions in hockey. India finally settled for a bronze.

The honour coincided with the on-going celebrations of the Decade of Development by the then regime of president Muhammad Ayub Khan. The president immediately sent a telegram to the skipper in which he said, “I heartily congratulate you and all members of your team on their grand victory in the Olympic Championship. This is a tribute to your team spirit, dedication and skill. Pakistan is proud of your superb performance."

To commemorate the glorious victory, Pakistan Post issued a set of two stamps on January 30 as shown above, valued Paisa 15 and Rupee 1. The stamp showed the Olmpic gold medal and a hockey player with the caption of Mexico Olympics 1968 alongside the Olympic rings.

On the eve of the death centenary of the famous Urdu language poet of the united India Mirza Asad Ullah Khan Ghalib, Pakistan Post issued a set of two stamps of value Paisa 15 and 50. The stamps bore the typical portrait of Mirza Ghalib on the right enriched with Moghul floral border and a selection of verses from his poetical masterpiece.

The translation of the verse on 15 Paisa stamp reads:

Where, O God, does the next step of Passion lead,

The Wilderness of corporeal universe appears But a foot-print to me

The translation of Ghalib's verse on 50 Paisa stamp is as under:

A loftier abode we fain had created

O that for us a residence beyond the stars had been destined

The above stamp valued at Paisa 15 showing the new railway station of Dacca was issued on completion of its first year on 27 April 1969.

A set of two stamps, valued at Paisa 15 and 50 was issued on the eve of 50 years of the International Labour Organization ILO. The stamps green and red in colour were issued on 15 May.

To mark the Fifth Anniversary of the establishment of the Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD), the Pakistan Post Office issued a set of three commemorative postage stamps of 20 Paisa, 50 Paisa and Re. 100 denominations on the 21st July, 1969. The stamps reflected the cultural heritage of the three member countries.

The 15 Paisa stamp on left above had the reproduction of a Mughal Miniature painting belonging to the mid 18th Century. The painting depicted the portrait of a woman seated in a balcony, holding a cup in her hand and wearing a tall bejeweled hat on her head, from which her hair cascaded on her shoulders. The stamp reflected the art of Pakistan.

The 50 Paisa stamp in the centre above depicted the Safavi miniature art of Iran, showing a kneeling servant. The painting was done by Raza Abbasi who lived in the first half of the 17th Century and was one of the well-known Safavi (Isfahan) miniaturists.

The Rupee 1 stamp on the right above showed the miniature art of the Ottoman Empire's times and displayed the Suleiman the magnificent's court. The miniature seems to have been taken from “The Book of Exploits”compiled in the year 1588.

On the eve of the commissioning of the first oil refinery in East Pakistan, a commemorative stamp of value Paisa 20 was issued on September 14, 1969.

The refinery named Eastern Refinery Ltd., was been built in collaboration with the East Pakistan industrial Development Corporation and the Burmah Oil Company Ltd., London. Built at a cost of Rs. 13.5 crores, the Eastern Refinery had the designed capacity to process 1.5 million tons of crude oil annually. This was yet another hallmark of the Decade of Development of president Ayub Khan.

The above stamp of 20 Paisa denomination was issued on 6 October on the eve of the Universal Children Day.

A set of two stamps was issued on November 1, 1969 on the occasion of inaguration of the Dacca - Tokyo route, labelled the Pearl Route by the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The stamp valued Paisa 20 (green in colour) and Paisa 50 (blue in colour) showed a Japanese doll on the left side of the stamp against the three panelsn. The top panel bore the caption “PIA PEARL ROUTE INAUGURAL DACCA-TOKYO”, while the lower panel showed the value of the stamps. The central panel displayed the map of the world with black lines marking the diferent destinations of PIA.

The route was labelled as Pearl Route for the reason that Dacca is known for its pink pearls and Bangkok for precious stones. Manila is the capital of the Philippines which is called the Pearl of the Pacific and Tokyo is internationally famous for its cultured pearls.

The name of Abu Ali Al Hasan ibnul Hasan ibn al-Haitham (Alhazen) for his monumental achievements in the science of optics is well known around the world.Born in Basra in 965, he moved to Cairo which was then the hub of the Islamic world and a great centre of learning. His brilliance in the field of mathematics was picked up by the Fatimid caliph and was called to the royal courtyard. Haitham had many contributions including the proposal of building of a dam on River Nile that would create destruction each year around its banks. It was many centruies later that the famous Aswan Dam was built and relaised Haitahm's dream and brilliance.

However his greatest discoveries are in the field of ptics and he wrote a book "On Optics" or Kitabul Manazir. In the book, he came up with the thoery of Euclid and Ptolemy that the eye sends out visual rays to the object of vision. He proposed, “It is not a ray that leaves the eye and meets the object, that gives rise to vision. Rather the form of the perceived object passes into the eye and is transmitted by its transparent body (i.e. the lens)."

His contributions in science are countless which require thousands of pages to fathom each. On the eve of the 1000th anniversary of Ibn-e-Haitham, Pakistan Post issued a stamp of Paisa 20 value on November 4, 1969. The multicoloured stamp bore his theory of Reflection of Light, drawn by him.

The last stamp of the year was issued to commemorate the 50 years (1919-1969) of the first aeroplane flight from London - Australia on 2 December 1969. The mainly blue coloured 50 Paisa stamp showed the famous Vickers "Vimmy" aircraft and the route of the first flight showing London - Karachi (now in Pakistan) and Darwin in Australia, the end destination.

It may be added here that in March 1919 the Australian Government had offered a prize of £10,000 for the first aeroplane to fly from England to Australia. The race was won by the “Vickers Vimy biplane commanded by Sir Ross Smith, with his brother Lieutenant Keith Macpherson Smith as co-pilot and mechanics Sergeant W.H. (Wally) Shiers and J.M. (Jim) Bennett, who took off from England on November 12, 1919 and reached Australia on December 10, 1919 after making brief stop-overs at various places including Karachi.

Related:
The stamps issued on eve of Decade of Development -1968
The decade of development
England to Australia Flight (Wikipedia)

Postage stamps of Pakistan - 1968

2011-08-11T01:58:00.001-07:00

The first set of two stamps that were issued in 1968 was issued on January 31 on the eve of the International Year of the Human Rights. The two stamps of Paisa 15 and 50 displayed the emblem of the Human Rights ad were blue and yellow in colou respectively.

The second stamp of the year was issued on 28 March on the eve of the First Convocation of the East Pakistan's Agricultural University. The stamp showed the building of the university and Memonsingh.

The third issuance was a set of two stamps on April 7 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of W.H.O. The stamps were priced at Paisa 15 and 50 and were of green and orange red and red, orange and indigo in colour respectively. There were some rare stamps of Piasa 15 on which the word PAISA was written as PAIS, with letter "i" omitted.

Kazi Nazrul Islam (25 May 1899–29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi (Rebel Poet). Accomplishing a large body of acclaimed works through his life.

On 25June 1968, a set of two stamps was issued of value Paisa 15 and 50 to honour the great man.

On 7 October, on the eve of the Universal Children Day, a commemorative stamp of Paisa 15 was issued with the theme for the year "Good Health - the Basic Right of Every Child" and three children shown running with hoops.

1968 marked the 10 years of the rule of President Muhammad Ayub Khan. The occasion was celebrated as the decade of Development throughout the country. The then government was rightly proud of its achievements as never in the history of Pakistan, the country had been so stable, progressive and developing. During these 10 years, Pakistan achieved many a hallmark, like the building of new capital city Islamabad, ushering in the TV era (first TV station set up in Lahore 24 November 1964), inauguration of first electric train between Lahore and Khanewal (though no successive governemnt could extend it an inch thereafter), besides providing stability and immense economic growth to the country. the establishment of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear and Scientific Technology was another hallmark achievement of the government that later paved way for Pakistan to become a nuclear power state. In 1961 Warsak Dam was built near Peshawar to become the first major water storage reservoir of the country. Later two major mega projects namely the Mangla and Tarbela Dam were added to produce electricity and store irrigation water.

During these 10 years, Pakistan's relations with the western world improved manifold. In 1964 Ayub Khan became the first head of the state to visit China - a visit that could never be replicated later by any other head of the state. The visit laid the foundation of very friendly and strong ties between China and Pakistan. China since then has become a time tested friend of Pakistan and has always supported Pakistan on all issue on the international forum.

To commemorate the Decade of Development, a set of four stamps was issued on 27 October as shown above. The stamps were valued 10, 15, 50 and 60 Paisa. the 10 Paisa stamp (top left) showed the National Assembly building, the 15 Paisa stamp (bottom left) showed agriculture produce, the 50 Paisa stamp (above right) was dedicated to the armed forces of the country and the 60 Paisa stamp (bottom right) showed industrial plants and the atomic reactor.

Related: Decade of Development - Ayub's 10 Years

Postage stamps of Pakistan - 1967 from my collection

2011-08-07T05:13:00.001-07:00

1967 was a busy year for the Pakistan Post as it issued stamps on almost a dozen occasions during the year. Starting from the very first day of the year, the Pakistan Post issued a 15 Paisa value stamp (below) on the eve of the International Tourist Year in January 1, 1967.

The brownish coloured stamp bore the emblem of the Tourist Year.

The second stamp was again issued in the month of January on the eve of the TB eradication campaign. The Paisa 15 stamp bore the emblem of the TB Association of the country and was issued on January 10, 1967.

The third stamp was also issued in the month of January, on January 29 to commemorate the holding of the 4th Pakistan National Boy Scouts Jamboree. The Paisa 15 value stamp bore the badge and typical three fingered salute of the boy scouts.

17th February marked the centenary of the West Pakistan High Court. The 15 Paisa value stamp bore the emblem of the High Court and the woman holding the scale of justice in her right hand.

Dr Sir Muhammad Allama Iqbal is the national poet of Pakistan. 21 April marks the death anniversary of this poet philosopher. On the day, a set of two stamps was issued to pay homage to this great poet who dreamt of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the British India and brought on board Muhammad Ali Jinnah to lead the movement for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Unforgettably, he could not see his dream coming true as he expired almost nine years before the independence of Pakistan.

The stamp on the left above was priced at Paisa 15 and was dominating light red and sepia in colour. The Re. 1 value stamp on the right was dominating deep green and sepia in colour.

During the Indo - Pak war of 1965, three cities of Pakistan bre the major brunt of the enemy's aggression and blunt all efforts by the enemy forces to take over cities of Lahore and Sialkot due ot gallantry fo the Pakistan army and resilience of the people of the two cities. Sargodha being a major air force base was also subjected to incessant air raids from across the border, but was saved from any major damage due to gallantry of Pakistan Air Force.

To honour the citizens of these three cities, a special national standard known has Hilal-e-Istaqlal was given to these three cities as depicted on the stamp above. The 15 Paisa stamp with red background showed the special Pakistan standard or the Hilal-e-Istaqlal. Each year on 6 September, the previous flag is replaced with the new one, which flies atop the city town hall building side by side the national standard of the country.

The stamp above was issued on May 15, 1967.

A 15 Paisa red and blue green stamp was issued on 14 August 1967 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Pakistan as shown above.

On 28th September, a set of three stamps was issued to show Pakistan's three major exports. The Paisa 10 blue, yellow and green stamp above top showed the rice export of Pakistan. Pakistan's Basmati Rice ranks among the very best in the world. The 15 Paisa stamp in the bottom row (left) depicted cotton, yarn and textile exports of Pakistan. Like rice, Pakistan produce one of the finest cotton i the world and its textile related products are like all over the world. The 50 Paisa stamp above (right) showed raw jute, bales and bags winch were peculiar to the then East wing of the country.

The multicolored, yellow dominated stamp above witha face value of Paisa 15 was issue don the eve of Universal Children Day on 2nd October. The stamp showed clay toys for the children.

On 26th October, on the eve of the coronation of the Shah of Iran, a commemorative stamp of 50 Paisa face value was issued showing the portrait of the King of Iran Raza Shah Pehalwi and his wife Queen Farah Deeba.

The 15 Paisa multicoloured stamp was issued on November 4 on the eve of Cooperative Day.

Indus Water Basin Treaty was a hallmark treaty between India and Pakistan, which was signed in 1960 by the president of Pakistan Muhammad Ayub Khan and Indian prime minister Nehru for the just utilization and distribution of rivers flowing into Pakistan from India. as per the treaty, Pakistan was allowed to construct major dams on the Indus and River Jhelum. The 15 Paisa stamp above shows the spillway of the Mangla Dam, constructed near the city of Jhelum on River Jhelum. The stamp was issued on 23 November on the eve of formal opening of the dam.

The last stamp of the year was issued on December 28. The 15 Paisa red and black stamp showing a crab pierced by a sword to mark the resolve the fight against the deadly disease of cancer.

Pakistan Postage Stamps - 1966 from my collection

2011-08-06T03:04:00.000-07:00

On February 13, Pakistan Post issued a multicoloured 15 Paisa stamp to mark the armed Forces Day. The stamp with yellow background had emblems of all three branches of the armed Forces of the country.

On the eve of the inauguration of the first atomic reactor of the country, under the auspices of PINSTECH (Pakistan Institute of Science and Technology), located at Nilore near Islamabad. The institute was to become a hallmark in the history fo Pakistan which later paved way for further development and research on atomic power in the country. The 15 Paisa stamp showed the elevation of the PINSTECH building was issued on April 30, 1966.

Habib Bank Limited was the only bank in the private sector on the eve of creation of Pakistan. On august 25, a multicoloured stamp showing the emblem of the bank was issued on the eve of its 25th year of operation.

A red and yellow coloured stamp (above ) of 15 Paisa face value was issued on October 3, 1966 to commemorate the International Children Day.

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of UNESCO, a 15 Paisa stamp was issued (below) on November 24. The stamp displayed the emblem of UNESCO.

President Muhammad Ayub Khan had a dream of building a capital city for Pakistan. The work on the project started under the foothills of Margalla Hills near Rawalpindi in 1960 and the capital was formally inaugurated in 1966. On November 29, Pakistan Post issued a set of two stamps priced at 15 and 50 Paisa respectively as shown above on the formal inauguration of the new capital. The stamps displayed the Pakistani flag, the federal secretariat building and photos of president Ayub Khan both in uniform and in suit.

The capital Development Autrity (CDA) is celebrating the 50 years or the Golden Jubilee of the day this year.

On the foundation of the Health and Tibbi Research Institute, a 15 Paisa dull green and salmon coloured stamp was issued on December 3. The stamp displayed the portrait of famous Muslim scholar and researcher Avicenna or Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā. Ibn-e-Sina, as he is commonly known has great contribution in the field of medicine.

The last set of two stamps of 1966 was issued on December 25 to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, commonly known as the Quaid-e-Azam, the founder of Pakistan. The two stamps valued at 15 and 50 Paisa showed the portrait of the father of nation wearing the famous Jinnah Cap or the Karakul Cap, which became the national headdress of Pakistan.

Postage stamps of Pakistan of 1965 from my collection

2011-08-02T17:18:00.001-07:00

Pakistan Post issued postage stamps on five occasions during 1965. I have in my collection all but one (the first one). The details are as under.

The first stamp of the year was published on February 28 on the eve of the Blind Welfare. The ultramarine yellow coloured stamp showing the national flag and glasses was priced at Paisa 15.

The second stamp was issued on the eve of the Centenary celebrations of the International Telecommunication Union (UIT) on May 17 1965. The reddish purple coloured stamp showed the ITU's emblem and symbol and was priced Paisa 15.

On June 28, a set of two stamps was issued on the eve of the International Cooperation Year. The stamps showed the ICY emblem of hand shake and a wreath underneath. The black and light blue stamp (left above) had a face value of Paisa 15, while the green and yellow stamp (above right) was priced at Paisa 50.

Year 1965 marked the first anniversary of the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD). The organizations with Pakistan, Iran and Turkey with its three members was founded a year earlier on July 21, 1964 in its inaugural session in the Caspian Sea city of Ramsar, Iran. The Paisa 15 stamp (above top) showed the symbol of cooperation, while the multicoloured Paisa 50 stamp (above below) showed the maps of three member countries and a globe showing their maps.

The last set of three stamps of the year was issued on December 25, 1965 as a tribute to the gallant forces of the country with a caption of Salute to our Army, Navy and Air Force. The Paisa 7 stamp in brown colour (above top) was dedicated to the Pakistan Army showing a soldier and tanks besides emblem of Pakistan Army in red. The blue coloured Paisa 15 stamp (below left) showing the emblem of Pakistan Navy, a sailor and a warship was dedicated to the Navy. The Paisa 50 stamp in air force blue colour (below right) showed a pilot and two F-104 super sonic Star fighter aircraft besides emblem of Pakistan Air Force.

Postage stamps of Pakistan issued in 1963

2011-07-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

This 13 Paisa stamp earlier issued in 1962 (with redrawn Bengali script) was over printed with words "U.N. FORCE W.IRAN" on 15 February 1963.

Horse and Cattle Show at Lahore Fortress Stadium has been one of the major events to welcome the spring and had been held for years in the months of March and April. The 13 Paisa stamp above was issued on 13 March 1963. The stamp shows the dancing camel and horse with a drum beater in between and a cow underneath.

A set of two stamps was issued on March 21, 1963 on the eve of promulgation of the land reforms. The 13 Paisa stamp was in orange brown colour, while the 50 Paisa stamps was in bistre brown colour.

On the eve of the International Stamp Exhibition in Dacca, an earlier issued stamp of 2 Ana denomination with maps of East and West Pakistan (1960) was overprinted with words "INTERNATIONAL DACCA STAMP EXHIBITION 1963". The stamp was issued on March 23 and revalued at 13 Paisa, since Pakistan switched over to decimal system in 1961.

On the eve of the centenary of the Red Cross, a 40 Paisa stamp in red and deep olive colour was issued on June 25, 1963.

Pakistan is rich in archaeological remains of the civilizations that once thrived in the areas that now constitute Pakistan. From Mehrgarh civilization (7000-9000 BC) to Meonjodaro and Taxila (2500 BC), there are numerous remains that are now protected by the UN. The 13 Paisa stamp in sepia colour on top shows remains of Moenjodaro. The blue 7 Paisa stamp on left shows Paharpur archaeological site, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The 40 Paisa carmine colour stamp shows stupa of Taxila. The deep redish coloured 50 Paisa shows remains of Mainamati, a Buddhist site near the city of Comilla in East Pakistan (now Bangla Desh). The set of four stamps was issued on September 18, 1963.

Public Works Department (PWD) was established by the British during their rule over the British India in 1863. On October 7, 1963 on the eve of the centenary celebrations of this pre-independence department, an earlier issued stamp of 3 Paisa in 1961 was repriced at Paisa 13 with overprint "100 YEARS OF P.W.D OCTOBER, 1963". The stamp had the older version of Bengali script which was later changed in 1962.

Mustafa Kemal Attaturk of Turkey is revered in Pakistan as both Pakistan and Turkey enjoy the best of brotherly relations. On the eve of 25th death anniversary of this great Turk leader, a 50 Paisa stamp showing the Ataturk’s Mausoleum was issued on 10 November 1963. The stamp was red in colour.

On the eve of the 15th anniversary (1948-1963) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a 50 Paisa stamp was issued on December 10, 1963.

The last stamp of the year was issued on December 25, 1963 to mark the completion of the Multan Thermal Power Station. The Paisa 13 stamp was ultramarine in colour and showed the overview of the building.

Pakistan Postage Stamps - 1962 from my collection

2011-07-23T01:58:00.000-07:00

On the eve of Pakistan International Airlines' first jet flight from Karachi (west Pakistan) to Dacca (East Pakistan ), an earlier issued scarlet coloured stamp with a denomination of two and a half Ana in 1957showing Karnaphuli Paper Mill East Pakistan. was over printed with words "First Jet Flight karachi - Dacca" was issued on 6th February. The stamp was repriced at 13 Paisa as in 1961 Pakistan switched over to the decimal system.

On 7 April 1962, a s et of two stamps was issued on the eve of Malaria Eradication campaign. The stamps were priced 10 and 13 Paisa.

On 8 June 1962, a commemorative stamp of 40 Paisa face value was issued on the eve of formulation of the new constitution of the country. The stamp printed by Courvoisier S.A. Switzerland showed the Jasmine flower (national flower of Pakistan) and maps of East and West Pakistan.

On the eve of Independence day 14 August 1962, the theme chosen was Sports in the country. The set of four stamps was priced at Paisa 7, a black and blue stamp showing football, Paisa 13, a green and black stamp showing hockey, Paisa 25, stamp in black and purple showing squash raquets, and finally a Paisa 40 stamp of black and orange brown colour showing cricket bat. After Cape Verde, Pakistan became the second country in the world to have a stamp showing a cricket bat.

Small scale industries of Pakistan are the backbone of Pakistani industry supporting the handicrafts of the country. A set of five stamps was issued on 10 November 1962. The 7 Paisa stamp in brown lake colour showed a marble fish plate, the 13 Paisa deep green stamp showed the sports industry, 25 Paisa stamp of reddish violet colour displayed the camel skin lamp, the 40 Paisa yellow green stamp the wood industry and finally the 50 Paisa deep red stamp showed an inlaid cigarette case. The stamps were designed my MunirBhatti and Ashfaq Ghani.

Pakistan continues to issue stamps on its handicrafts and other industries as can be seen in Pakistanpaedia.

On the 16th anniversary of the UNICEF, Pakistan post issued a stamp of two stamps on 11 December 1962 as above. The stamps depicted a book, toy and medical instrument and were of 13 and 40 Paisa denomination.

The earlier issued set of the definitive stamps of 1961 undergone yet another change with re-drawn Bengali inscription from the left to new inscription as seen on the stamp on the right. The change was effected to the entire range of these stamps and continued to be used till these stamps were withdrawn.

Originally shared at Hobby Shobbys

Pakistan Post switches over to decimal system - 1961

2011-07-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

The dawn of 1961 ushered in a new era in the history of Pakistan. The age old Ana denomination was replaced by the decimal system as Pakistan switched over to the metric system. Now instead of One Pakistani Rupee having 16 Ana or 64 Paisa, from 1 January 1961 was to equal 100 paisa. Since there were no readily available stamps of decimal system, the stamps issued in previous years were overprinted with the new price in Paisa.

The year 2011 also marks the 50th anniversary of the event - time passes so quickly.

The stamps with paisa overprint that were used were as shown above: the Justice Scale series of 1948 re-priced 2 Paisa, the Crescent stamp 1956 re-priced 13 Paisa, the Badshahi Mosque re-priced 7 Paisa and Jahangir Mausoleum 1954 re-priced 1 Paisa and West Pakistan map series of 1960 re-priced 3 and 13 Paisa.

From 1961-63, a series of definitive stamps was issued, but in the earlier issues, the word "Pakistan" was erroneously written as "Shakistan" in the Bengali text as in the above series of stamps. The mistake when observed, was later corrected in the stamps as shown herein under.

This is the corrected series of stamps with Pakistan correctly spelt in Bengali text. The stamps showing the famous Khyber Pass were of the denomination of Paisa 1,2,3,5 and 7.

Continuing with the definitive series of stamps between 1961-63, the second set of stamps bore the photo of the famous Mogul architecture of Shalimar Gardens of Lahore. The stamps were of Paisa 10,15,25,40,50,75 and 90 denomination.

The next set of defintive stamps was a set of four stamps showing the entrance of the famous Chhota Sona Mosque of East Pakistan (now Bangla Desh). The stamps were of 1, 1.25, 2 and 5 rupees denomination.

On the eve of the Lahore Stamp exhibition, the earlier issued stamp of West Pakistan map was overprinted with Lahore Stamp Exhibition 1961 and was issued on 12th February 1961 as seen above left. The stamp on right above was issued on 1 July 1961 on the eve of completion of Warsak Hydro Electric Project - the first ever project of Pakistan to produce electricity by constructing a dam on Kabul River near the town of Warsak, Peshawar. The stamp had a face value of 40 Paisa.

On 2 October 1961, a set of two triangular stamps (above top row) was issued on the eve of the Child Welfare Week. The turquoise blue stamp had a face value of 13 Paisa, while the bright purple stamp was priced at 90 Paisa. On 4 November 1961, a set of two stamps (above bottom row) on the Cooperative Day. The rose red and deep green stamp (right) was priced 13 Paisa, while rose red and blue stamp (left) had a face value of 90 Paisa.

On the eve of the Police Century on 30 November 1961, a set of two stamps (above) was issued bearing the Police crest and Traffic Control. The silver black and blue stamp (above left) was priced at Paisa 13, while the silver black and red (left) was priced at Paisa 40.

The last stamp to be issued in 1961 was on the eve of the Railway Centenary (1861-1961), which were issued on 31 December, the last day of the year 1961. The 13 Paisa stamp on the left above showed a steam locomotive engine (known as Eagle)that pioneered the commencement of railways system in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. The 50 Paisa denomination stamp on the right above showed a diesel locomotive engine.

Related: Pakistan Post (Pakistanpaedia)

UNPA commemorative stamps on ECOSOC-Education-2011

2011-07-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

On 1 July 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issues a set of six commemorative stamps on the theme "ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) - Education".

Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty.

Each year, the Economic and Social Council holds an Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), a vehicle for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 target date. The 2011 AMR will be held during the High-level Segment of the substantive session of the ECOSOC in July at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The theme for 2011 AMR is "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education". There has been tremendous progress towards Universal Primary Education (UPE) during the past decade, especially in developing countries. Limited access to education, high drop-out rates and grade repetition as well as poor quality of education, however, remain important challenges to the full achievement of this goal. At least 72 million children of school age are still denied the right to education due to financial, social or other challenges, including high fertility rates, HIV/AIDS and armed conflict.

The Education for All (EFA) movement is a global commitment to provide basic quality education for all children, youth and adults. The movement was launched at the World Conference on Education for All in 1990. In 2000, the international community met again in Dakar, Senegal, to affirm their commitment to achieving Education for All by the year 2015. They identified six education goals which aim to meet the learning needs of all children and adults by 2015.

The drive to achieve the EFA goals also contributes to the global pursuit of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG2 on universal primary education as well as MDG3 on gender equality in education.

Resource/Reference: UNPA

Postage stamps of Pakistan issued in 1960

2011-06-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

1960 was a busy year for the Pakistan Post as it issued stamps on numerous occasions as compared to just two occasions in 1959. The issues included 6 sets of stamps and three individual stamp issues.

The first set of two stamps was issued on 10^th January to commemorate the Armed Forces Day. The stamps bearing the logo of the Armed forces badge were in green and blue backgrounds and had the face value of Ana 2 and 14. These stamps were on sale till end February 1962.

The second set of four definitive stamps was issued on 23^rd March 1960 showing the map of the then West Pakistan. The deep purple stamp was of the face value of 6 paisa, while the brown red stamp was of 2 Ana, the deep green stamp was of 8 Ana and the blue coloured stamp had a face value of Re1.

The third set of two stamps was issued on 7^th April on the eve of the World Refugee Year. The 2 Ana stamp was in rose carmine colour, while the 10 Ana stamp was coloured green.

On the eve of celebrating the golden jubilee of the famous Punjab Agri College Lyllpur, later renamed asFaisalabad after the King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, a set of two stamps showing the building of the college were issued on 10^th October. The blue and carmine red was for 2 Ana, while the blush green and red velvet coloured stamp was worth 8 Ana.

The fifth occasion was the commemoration of the Revolution Day on 27^th October. The theme for the stamps was based on the land reforms, rehabilitation and reconstruction initiated by the military government of General Muhammad Ayub Khan. The 2 Ana stamp was brown dominated with a tinged of pink, while the 14 Ana was ultra-marine blue with green tinge. Te stamps were withdrawn from sale at end June 1962.

King Edward Medical College of Lahore is a prestigious medical college of Pakistan, established in 1860. On the eve of its centenary celebrations, a set of two stamps was issued on 16^th November 1960. The stamps bore the symbol of caduceus, attributed to Hermes in Greek mythology. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings and is normally attributed to the discipline of medicine, health and cure. The 2 Ana stamp was with a blue background while the 14 Ana stamp had an emerald background.

The single stamp issue on 5^th December was of 14 Ana face value and was in orange red in colour. The stamp showed the map of south Asia and the sea with a ship on the eve of the International Chamber of Commerce CAFEA meeting.

The last stamp of the year was issued on the eve of the Third Pakistan Boy Scouts National Jamboree on 24^thDecember. The stamp with a green background valued 2 Ana bore the image of the famous Zamzamma gun which is now placed as the relic of the past in front of the Punjab University and the national College of Arts Lahore on the famous Mall Road. The gun is also knwn as the Kim’s Gun, after the famous British writer Rudyard Kipling who defying all rules of the then British government sat beside the gun and wrote his fascinating stories, and Bhangian de Tope (Bhangi’s gun) referring to the era when the gun was captured by the Sikhs and came under the possession of the Bhangi clan.

My collection includes stamps from all issues of the 1960, except one from the set of stamps issued on the eve of the centenary of the King Edward Medical College.

References:

Decade of Development – Ayub’s 10 years

Faisalabad – Pakistan’s Manchester

Lahore (Lhor Lhor hai)

Zamzamma

Postal Stamps of Pakistan – 1959 and my album

My collection of stamps of Pakistan - 1958

2011-06-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Post issued stamps on four occasion during the year 1958 as seen above.

The stamp showing a coconut tree in the top row of Rs. 15 denomination was issued on 23 March 1958 to commemorate the second anniversary of Republic Day. Pakistan was declared the first Islamic Republic on 23 March 1956.
A set of three stamps in the second row was issued on 21 April 1958 on the eve of 20th death anniversary of Pakistan's national poet Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The stamps had a face value of one and a half ana (left-yellow), 2 anas (centre - orange brown) and 14 anas (left - turquoise blue).
On 10 December 1958, on the eve of 10th anniversary of the Human Rights, Pakistan Post issued a set of two stamps (third row above) of one and a half ana (turquoise blue - left) and 14 anas (sepia - right).
Just three days before the end of the year 1958, Pakistan Post issued two stamps with overprints "Pakistan Boy Scout 2nd National Jamborie, Chittagong Dec 58 - Jan 59". These two stamps of 6 paisa and 8 anas were actually issued in 1954 (Kaghan Valley - 4th row) and 1955 (Jute Mills East Pakistan - last row)

My collection of 1958 is not complete as I do not have stamps of the Republic Day celebrations and the sepia coloured stamp issued to commemorate the 10 anniversary of Human Rights.

Originally posted: Hobby Shobbys

My collection of stamps - Monaco

2011-05-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

The postal services in Monaco have said to exist as early as early 18th century. For a brief period, Monaco used stamps of Sardinia from 1851 to 1860. Thereafter French stamps with Monaco or Monte-Carlo overprints were used.

The first indigenous stamps of Monaco were finally issued on Huly 1, 1885 with head of Prince Charles III of Monaco. Prince Rainier III, who himself was an avid stamps and coins collector, showed keen interest in the philatelic services of his country in 1949 as he believed that the stamps were the best ambassador of a country.

Monaco joined the Universal Postal Union in 1955 and Post Europ in 1993.

Seen above is the page from my stamps collection of stamps from Monaco.

Originally posted at: Hobby Shobbys

Rare stamps of Egypt

2011-05-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

By Hobby Shobbys

The stamps of Egypt in my collection date back to 1884 - the two stamps in the left column from the bottom showing the Sphinx were issued in 1884 and onwards.This makes them one of the oldest stamps of my collection.

The stamps bearing head of King Fouad, called the Second Portrait Issue (above bottom right four stamps) were issued between 1927-1937. The top left stamp in this group of four stamps was issued in 1953 with the abolishing of the kingship with three three horizontal bars unceremoniously overprinted till new stamps were issued.

The stamps with head of Young King Farouk (Investiture) Issue, above left column two stamps, were issued between 1937-1946.

The second stamp from the left in top row is that of Farouk I, issued during the 1940s.

The Service Stamp, second from the left in bottom row, was issued in 1951.

Related: The Kingdom of Egypt 122-1953

6th Population and Housing Census 2011 (Pakistan)

2011-02-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

Year 2011 is to be 6th Population and Housing Census year of Pakistan. The last census was held in 1998. Pakistan post has issued a commemorative stamp, in anticipation, with a face value of Rs. 10. The stamp is 60 mm wide and 30.5 mm in height. The stamp has 13c perforations and is printed at Pakistan Security Printing Corporation Karachi and issued on 10 February 2011.

The population of Pakistan in 2009 as per a World Bank report stood at 169,708,303 and is world's sixth most-populous country, behind Brazil and ahead of Bangladesh. As per an analysis Pakistan's urban population expanded over sevenfold during 1950-2008, while the total population increased by over fourfold. In the past, the country's population had a relatively high growth rate that has, however, been moderated by declining fertility and birth rates. The population growth rate now stands at 1.6%.

As per the population clock on Pakistan Census Organization website, Pakistan's population stands at 171875000 at the time of writing this post on 19th February 2011.

A page from my stamp album - France

2010-12-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

Pakistan: Changing over to Paisa from Ana

2010-11-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Pakistan changed over to the decimal system in 1960 and all earlier “Ana” stamps needed to be converted to “Paisa” denomination face value. Thus on 1 January 1961, a series of stamps bearing drawing of Khyber Pass and Shalamar Bagh were issued for the face value of 1, 5, 7,10,13,15,20,25,40 and 50 Paisa.

While I was a kid, we would see these stamps most commonly used on the envelopes that would be sent to us by our relatives. That is why I still have a fare quantity of these stamps as duplicates.

The definitive series depicting Khyber Pass and Shalimar Garden, was twice produced during 1961-62. But the postal authorities were not satisfied with the shape of Bengali inscription denoting PAKISTAN. The inscription was redrawn in new style and all paisa values were printed with PAKISTAN in Bengali accordingly altered. Distinction of the new font is a straight line over all the letters resembling PAKISTAN which also connects letters with each other. This beautiful set of stamps remained in use till 1970s.

Related Link: Stamps of Pakistan 1961-1980 (Pakistanpaedia)

Polo at Shandur – the highest polo ground

2010-10-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

Horse is a mighty animal God ever created. Its loyalty and faithfulness attracted it to men, who became its best friends, and masters. The horses not only helped in transportation but also took men to war. But beside that, horses also played when their masters chose to play polo. Played all over the world, the royalties in the Indo-Pak subcontinent also played a game known as Chogan, similar to the game of polo as played today. One of the kings, Qutab ud Din Aibak died while playing polo in Lahore and is now buried in Anarkali - one of the oldest bazaars of Lahore.

While polo is played in all major cantonments of Pakistan, as it is one of the most popular sports in the army, the game at Shandur, 3,700 meters above sea level, near Chitral has a charm of its own. Polo was first played here as far back in 1936, when one Major Cobb, the British Political Agent of then Northern Areas started playing polo at night when it was a full moon, since he thought that moon looked so near the earth that a match in a moonlit night would change the very meaning of the game. Because of this the Shandur polo ground came to be referred to as the "Moony Polo Ground".

The Pakistani-bred Punjabi and Afghan Badakshani ponies, both the result of breeding from Himalayan mountain ponies and English thoroughbreds, are ridden in a wild style, with a lot of skill and at full speed.

Due to its distant location and special climatic conditions, only teams from Chitral and Gilgit participate in the annual Shandur Polo Festival, held in July each year when the snow has melted and the weather is just right for the game to go on. The match is the centrepiece attraction of the Annual Shandur Festival, and a large number of local and foreigners participate in the festivities besides enjoying a hearty polo match.

Watching Polo at Shandur in the full moon may not possible now, but it’s a once in lifetime dream for any polo player to reach to the venue and watch it being played on perhaps the highest polo ground of the world.

To commemorate the game at amid towering snow clad mountains, the Pakistan Post issued a stamp of Rs. 5 denomination in 2006.

World Postal Day

2010-10-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

9th of October is celebrated as the World Post day as it was this day in 1874 when the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established. In those days, the postal services were in their infancy all over the world and there was requirement to coordinate and harmonize the postal services for the people living in various parts of the world. In other words, the main objective of union was to maintain and create the structure for open flows of the worldwide mail around world.

It was Montgomery Blair, Postmaster General in USA, who prepared the conference of the legislature from 15 American and European countries in 1863, which could be termed as the cue for the establishment of the UPU nine years later. In fact it all started when on September 15, 1874, Heinrich von Stephan, a senior postal official in the then North German Confederation (an area that now forms parts of Germany, Poland and Russia), opened a conference in Berne, Switzerland, with delegates from 22 countries. On October 9, 1874, the delegates signed the Treaty of Berne and established the General Postal Union. The number of countries that were members of the General Postal Union grew rapidly and the union's name was changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878. In 1948, the Universal Postal Union became a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Today with 189 member countries across the globe, the UPU is the world's largest physical distribution network, that regulates all matters related to post and postal services.

For the last 35 years, UNESCO and UPU have joined hands to organize the global competition of the letter-writing for the young people. Most of the participating postal services use this special day to award the prizes to competition winners.

Like all other countries, Pakistan is also celebrating the day with its postal system that dates back to 1852, when the Scinde Dawk ushered in a new era of postal services for the first time in the South East Asia. To mark the occasion, an impressive UPU-flag hoisting ceremony was organized in the Directorate General, which was attended by a huge gathering of Postal Officer and staff. Despite the era of e-mails and SMSs, the postal services of Pakistan are one of the best, efficient and available in the remotest parts of Pakistan.

A page from my stamp album - Czechoslovakia - Page 2

2010-10-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Czechoslovakia was the name of a country that exisited on world map since 1918. It was initially part of the greater Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later in 1918 after the WW-I, it declared independence and became a sovereign state. The country since then had gone under difficult times of its history. During the period of the WW-II (1939-45), it bore the wrath of the German invasion and was partially incorporated into the then Germany.

After the WW-II, a apart of the Czechoslovakia (to be more precise the eastern part of Carpathian Ruthenia) was taken over by then USSR, while the remaining country continued to be a severing country once again.

Since the country mainly consisted of two major parts, i.e. Cesko and Slovensko, the two could not co-exist as one country for long since both were culturally and economically at par with each other. Therefore, after long misunderstandings and bitterness, on January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia finally split into two independent states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

My collection of Czechoslovakia is of the times when the country as Czechoslovakia was intact. I have already shared the first page of my stamp collection of Czechoslovakia. Here is the second page with all its beautiful stamps that I collected from aperiod from 1966-1975.

A page from my stamp album - Austria

2010-09-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

The postal history of Austria dates back to 1850 when a series of imperforate stamps featuring the coat of arms was issued on 1st of June. Issues between 1858-1861 bore the portrait of King Franz Josef, before returning to the coat of arms stamps again, this time in oval frame. With the establishment of the Austro Hungarian Empire in 1867, King Franz stamps again surfaced. These stamps continued till 1907.

In April 1850, the Austro German Postal Union agreement was struck between Prussia and the Austro Hungarian Empire to provide uniform system of postal rates between the two countries. By 1852, the remaining German states also joined in the Union. This agreement and the establishment of the Postal Union later became a role model for the creation of the Universal Postal Union in 1874.

On the eve of 60th year of reign of King Franz in 1908, a series of stamps depicting portraits of various emperors and Emperor Franz. The same design was used in 1910 on the 80th birthday celebrations of King Franz, showing 1830-1910 at the top and bottom of the stamps. King Franz again reappeared in 1916. From 1917-1919 Emperor Charles I appeared on Austrian stamps.

After the World War I, the German Austrian stamps were issued in 1918 with the overprint “Deutschösterreich” on the existing stamps. In 1919 the German Austria issued its own indigenous stamps. The “Deutschösterreich” was replaced with "ÖSTERREICH" in 1922.

The WW-II saw a mixed of stamps as Austria was occupied by the Soviets, Germans and the Allies with overprints of "Österreich" and a bar obliterating the "Deutsches Reich" inscription, bearing portrait of Hitler. On 3rd July 1945, new stamps with "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" were issued by the Soviet Union, while the Allied Military Government issued its own stamps in areas under their control.

After WW-II, Austria started issuing its own stamps.

The first stamp on the top left column of my album is of the period of “Deutschösterreich”. The remaining stamps in the left column are also of the period of WW-II and before.

A page from my stamp album - Canada

2010-08-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

The postal history of Canada dates back to early 16th century when a letter was sent from Newfoundland to New York in USA in 1527. But the actual postal services came into effect during the in 1705 when a courier is said to have carried a governor’s dispatch by boat. A regular postal service came to surface between Montreal and Quebec in 1734. When the Britain occupied Montreal in 1760, they established military postal system between Montreal and Quebec. Later the service was also extended to New York and Albany. The military postal system was replaced by a civilian post in 1763.

On May the 25th 1849, the issue of stamps by the Province of Canada was approved by the Legislative Assembly of Canada, which issued its first stamp in 1851.

This follows a long history which can be read from the link given below. However, my stamp album comes to Canada from the stamps of King George which were printed in 1911. The third stamp from the top left column was printed in 1928. This was followed by stamps of George VI which were printed in between 1937-1951.

After the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the first definitive stamps bearing her portrait were issued on 1953-05-01 (second column from the left), designed by one Yusuf Karsh – a Canadian of Armenian origin.

All other stamps on this page follow the Queen’s era stamps.

Related Reading: Postage stamps and postal history of Canada (Wikipedia)

A page from my stamp album - Mongolia

2010-08-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

A page from my stamp album - Malaya

2010-08-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

Malaysia, before its independence, was known as Malaya and comprised of a number of independent states. These states issued their own stamps. The stamps bore the words “Malaya” at the centre top and the name of the state at the bottom centre. The stamps on the first page of my album on Malaysia are of this particular period.

When Malaya got independence on 31st August 1957 from the British, it started issuing its own stamps. The stamps were titled “Federation of Malaya.” The two stamps in the right column are of this period. The practice continued till 9 August 1963, when states of Sabah and Sarawak became part of Malaya. From then on the official name of Malaya changed to Malaysia. In the process, Singapore was detached from Malaya and became an independent state itself.

The first definitive stamps of Malaysia were issued in 1963. In 1982, Malaysia created its first miniature sheet to commemorate its 25th anniversary as an independent country. The first stamp about sports was issued in 1965 on the eve of the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.

In my next post I will share more stamps and will also tell my viewers how I got these.

A page from my stamp album – Upper Volta (Haute Volte)

2010-08-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

When I started collecting stamps, there were many countries that don’t exist now in the names then. Some have merged into other countries, some disintegrated and some assumed new names keeping in view the aspiration of their people. One such country was Upper Volta.

The history of postage stamps of Upper Volta dates back to 1890s, when the French colonized some of the African countries. Prior to the creation od the French Upper Volta in 1919, the postal service in the area was administered by Senegambia and Niger and the then Upper Senegal and Niger. The first stamps of the Upper Volta were those of the Upper Senegal and Niger with the overprint “Haute Volte” in 1920s. The dedicated stamp of Upper Volta surfaced in 1928.

Upper Volta continued to be under French influence till 1960. In 1958 the Republic of Upper Volta emerged and issued its first stamp in 1959 when it celebrated its first anniversary. However, the republic became an independent state on 5th August 1960. The country had history of turmoil and military coups. On August4, 1984, some 24 years after its independence, the republic changed its name to Burkina Faso (meaning “the country of honourable people”).

I have three stamps of Upper Volta as shown above. May be someday I also get a stamp of Burkina Faso.

Nigeria

2010-08-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Present day Nigeria was once divided into two portions – the Southern and the Northern Nigeria. The Southern portion became a British protectorate in 1900. Lagos was added to this protectorate in 1906 while the Southern Nigeria was also merged in the existing protectorate to form a single colony of Nigeria under the British patronage.

A set of nine stamps was issued in 1901 of the Nigerian protectorate, which initially bore the portraits of Queen Victoria followed by that of her son King Edward VII in 1903. In 1912, vignette was replaced with a portrait of George V.

The stamps (left column) from my album are of much later stage issued in the 1950s, bearing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The stamps in the other columns are of the era of independent Nigeria when it became an independent federation in 1960.

A page from my stamp album - Denmark

2010-08-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

The three rows in the centre above bear the portrait of King Frederick IX who was the Danish monarch from April 1947 till 14 January 1972 when he died of illness. Frederick's reign saw great change. During these years, Danish society shook off the restrictions of an agricultural society and developed a welfare state. And, as a consequence of the booming economy of the 1960s, women entered the labour market. In other words, Denmark became a modern country, which meant new demands on the monarchy.

Denmark at present is being reigned by Queen Margrethe II, who took the reins on 14 January 1972, after the death of King Frederick IX. As a constitutional monarch, the Queen is limited to non-partisan, ceremonial functions. The ultimate executive authority over the government of Denmark is still by and through the monarch's royal reserve powers; in practice these powers are only used according to laws enacted in Parliament or within the constraints of convention.

The postal services in Denmark trace back their origin to 21 December 1864 when the postal envelopes were first produced in Denmark. Envelopes were only produced in two values to cover the first weight class for both the local rate and the inland rate. The local postal rate for letters was discontinued after 1 April 1957. The letter cards were first issued on 3 September 1888 and their production finally came to an end in 1979. By then a total of 83 different items had been issued in this category. Postcards that were first used in 1871 are still being used. Likewise, the aerogramme which were introduced in 1949 are still in use.

A page from my stamp album - Gold Coast (Ghana)

2010-08-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

There are many countries in the world which were once called something else as these were rather colonized by different maritime powers of periods before the 20th century or changed their names to suit the aspirations of their people.

The African continent has been invaded and colonized by the Dutch, French, Portuguese and the British. Of the many such colonies, Gold Coast was one. Gold Coast refers to the region of the West Africa, est of Ivory Coast and west of Slav Coast (an area that now constitutes Togo, Benin and Western Nigeria).

Gold Coast had changed hands with many colonists since 1482 when the Portuguese colonized it and called it Portuguese Gold Coast. About two hundred years later in 1642 it became the Dutch Gold coast. Till 1871, it had also been temporarily under the domination of Prussia and Denmark and was called so. In 1871 came the British and took control of the area as the British Gold Coast.

The first stamp of the Gold Coast were issued on 1 July 1875 in times of the rein of Queen Victoria. Gold Coast then became member of the Universal Postal Union in January 1879.

In 1957, the British Gold Coast became the first colony to gain independence and became present day Ghana. The first stamp of Ghana was printed in March 1957.

The two stamps in the top left column are of the period of the British Gold Coast, issued in 1948. The remaining stamps were issued by the independent Ghana after 1957 and are part of my stamp album.

A page from my stamp album - Dahomey (The Republic of)

2010-08-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Dahomey was a French colony on the west coast of Africa. The first stamp for Dahomey was issued in 1899. During the WW-II in 1944, Dahomey was incorporated into the French West Africa. The colony finally claimed its independence and became the Republic of Dahomey in 1960.

That’s how I knew it when I started collecting stamps in the late 60s, and I have just two stamps of this country. Both stamps were issued in 1970.

In 1975, the country changed its name and came to known as People’s Republic of Benin.

A page from my stamp album - Hungary

2010-08-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Magyar – the stamps bearing this word are in fact from Hungary. Sometimes it takes the novices and the rookies a little while to decipher the native names into English to know the name of the country. Magyar is actually the name of a tribe that migrated from Asia and settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896 AD. From these, rose the state of Hungary somewhere in 1000 AD, founded by King St Stephen. The Mongols did not spare countries like Hungary and invaded it in 1214 AD, but it survived the barbaric onslaught. Hungary then became a Central European power under the 300-year rule of the native Árpád Dynasty and subsequent dynasties.

In the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire expanded, Hungary broke into three parts in 1526: Western Hungary ruled by the Austrian House of Habsburg, Transylvania governed by Hungarian princes, and central Hungary came under the Turks. The Turkish occupation lasted until the 17th Century, when the Habsburgs drove out the Turks and claimed all of Hungary. The 150 years of constant wars decimated the native population and the voids were filled by foreign nationalities, creating the polyglot characteristic of Hungary.

The birth of postal services was an outcome of the number of wars fought in the late 19th century to get rid of the yoke of the Austrian power influence. It was the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa who established a regular postal service in Hungary and a military field-post service operated during both wars of independence. The Austrian issues used in Hungary are of great value by the lovers of stamp collection, especially in Hungary even now. In 1867 a compromise was reached with Austria, creating the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy under Emperor Franz Josef. The Hungarian half of the Monarchy organized an independent postal system, which issued its first stamps in 1867. Many Hungarian stamps depict two national symbols – the crown of St. Stephen and the mythical Turul bird. During the WW-I, Hungary side Austria against Russia and Italy. Thus Austrian military-post stamps, and stamps of Bosnia-Herzegovina (occupied in 1878 and annexed by the Monarchy in 1908) provide an interesting connection to Hungarian philately.

After the defeat of Austria in WW-I, Hungary proclaimed itself a republic. All previous stamps were overprinted with “Köztársaság”. The Russian communist influence in Hungary came in March 1919 and the stamps were then overprinted with “Tanácsköztársaság.”

The WW-II, in which Hungary sided with Germany, devastated Hungary, resulting in a rapid deterioration of its currency. Between May 1, 1945 and July 31, 1946, 27 postal rate changes occurred in what is known as the world’s greatest hyperinflation. In 1956, the Hungarians revolted against Soviet domination and the students of Sopron commemorated the event with an overprinted stamp issue. The revolt was brutally crushed and Hungary continued to be solid member of the Warsaw Pact until the disintegration of the Soviet Union’s European Empire in 1989. Hungary is now on its feet as a free country now.

A page from my stamp album - Japan

2010-08-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

The postal history of Japan dates back to 1871 when the first indigenous Japanese stamp was issued in the month of April. A set of four stamps bearing faces of a pair of dragons. The face value of the stamps was in “mon.” The same design reappeared with the face value in yen a year later.

The first commemorative stamp of Japan was issued on the eve of Silver Jubilee celebrations of the wedding of Emperor Meiji in 1894. However it was in 1896 that a portrait appeared on the Japanese stamps. These stamps were issued to honour the Princes Kitashirakawa and Arisugawa for their role in the First Sino-Japanese War.

In 1935, Mt Fuji surfaced on the Japanese stamps on the eve of the new year. In 1942, Japan issued a series of definitive stamps to mark the Japanese entry into the WW-II.

The word “NIPPON” first appeared in 1966 on the Japanese stamps which continues till date. The Japanese postal system was privatized in 2003 and from then on all stamps are issued by the Japan Post.

The first two stamps in the second column from the left were issued in 1942 on the eve of the fall of Singapore.

A page from my stamp album - Czechoslovakia

2010-08-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

When I started collecting stamps there was a country named Czechoslovakia that was there on the world map since 1918. Initially Czechoslovakia was a part of the greater Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later in 1918 after the WW-I, it declared independence and became a sovereign state. The country since then had gone under difficult times of its history. During the period of the WW-II (1939-45), it bore the wrath of the German invasion and was partially incorporated into the then Germany.

My collection of Czechoslovakia is of the times when the country as Czechoslovakia was intact. The stamps date back from 1940s till 1975. For example second stamp from top left column was printed in 1946 as part of a set of seven stamps. Likewise the last stamp in the second columns was printed in 1948 as a part of a set of five stamps. The first stamp in the second column from the left was printed in 1949 as part of a set of six stamps. Since most of the stamps on this page of my album are almost of the same period, it is difficult for me to dig out each and every stamp. I would appreciate if someone from Czech Republic helps me out with the history of each stamp.

Related Reading: History of Czechoslovakia (wikipedia)

A page from my stamp album - Australia

2010-08-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

The postal history of Australia dates back to 1 January 1901, when the six self-governing colonies of present day Australia formed the Commonwealth of Australia and the postal, telegraph and telephone services became the responsibility of the newly formed Commonwealth. However, prior to this formation, the six colonies have been issuing their stamps independently. These colonies included the Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the New South Wales. New South Wales issued its first stamp in 1850.

The first stamp of Australia appeared on 2 January 1913 with the issue of one penny Kangaroo and Map. This was the first definitive stamp with the sole nomenclature “Australia”.

The earliest stamps of the Australia that I have are that with the profile of King George V, issued on 8 December 1913 (top left corner of the page from my stamp album above). These stamps continued for the next 23 years. The next king to appear was King George VI (second column of my album). When Queen Elizabeth II took over the reins of British monarchy, her profile appeared on the Australian stamps as well (numerous stamps on my album). With the introduction of the decimal system on 14th February 1966, the face value of stamps changed to cents as can be seen on some of the stamp above.

The last definitive stamp featuring the monarch appeared on 1 October 1971. Since then, the designs of all Australian definitive values have focused on fauna, flora, reptiles, butterflies, marine life, gemstones, paintings, handicrafts, visual arts, community and the like. From 1980, a stamp has been issued annually to commemorate the monarch's birthday. Australia's first commemorative stamp was issued on 9 May 1927 to mark the opening of the first Parliament House in Canberra. Australia's first airmail-designated stamp appeared on 20 May 1929. The first self-adhesive commemoratives appeared in 1993.

Till 1977, the portraits of only monarchs appeared on Australian stamps. However, since 1977, the profile and portraits of other celebrities also made their view to Australian stamps. One such stamp that I have is that of Henry Lawson in the bottom of third column from the left.

Related Link: Three Half Pence or One Half Pence (My Philatelic World)

A page from my stamp album - Jordan

2010-08-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

This page from my stamp album shows some of the rare stamps of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan issued in the in 1950s.

Two stamps at the bottom left corner of the page is in fact is part of the set of eight stamps bearing the photo of Temple of Artemis, Jerash. The set was issued on 19th October 1954.

The stamp bearing the portrait of King Hussein on the top left corner was issued on 14th July 1954. The two stamps under the first stamp are part of the definitive stamps of o a set of 32 which were issued on 6 June 1959.

The four stamps in the second column from the left bearing the Al Aqsa Mosque / Dome of Rock, which were issued on 26th March 1954.

The only stamp in the third column from the left bears the Al Aqsa Mosque and is part of a set of four stamps issued on 19th October 1954. The stamp adjacent to it shows Treasury of Petra issued on 2nd September 1954 and is a part of set of three stamps.

A page from my stamp album - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2010-08-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

The present day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was once known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Najed in the early 1920s. Hejaz was under the greater Ottoman Empire and was under the direst control of the Turks since 1845. The Turks laid a railway system between the city of Medina and Damascus known as the Hejaz Railway and issued a number of railway stamps. The Turks also opened post offices in the cities of Abha, El Ula, Jeddah, Mecca, Taif, Tabouk, Yanbo and many other places. Before the Turks, an Egyptian post office functioned at the port city of Jeddah between 1865-1881.

The first stamp of Hejaz was issued in October 1916. The stamps continued till 1925, when Najed took control of the Kingdom of Hejaz. And from then on, stamps were issued under the Kingdom of Najed. On 8 January 1926, Abdul Aziz Ibn-e-Saud, the king of Nejd was crowned as the King of Hejaz in the Grand Mosque of Mecca. He also assumed the title of the King of Nejd. The first stamp of the new kingdom was issued in February 1926.

However, upon renaming of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd as Kingdom of Suaida Arabia in 1930s, the first stamp bearing the description “Saudi Arabia” was issued on 1 January 1934.

The four stamps after the first stamp in the top left column from my stamp album above were issued in the 1930s. The first stamp (aeroplane in blue) was issued in 1949 as a part of a set of two stamps (the other stamp was in red colour).

The remaining stamps were generally issued in the 1960s.

A page from my stamp album - England (Great Britain)

2010-08-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

The postal history of the Great Britain is the oldest in the world of philately, dating back to 1840. It also established one of the most efficient postal system ever laid out in the world. The Great Britain also introduced the same system in all its colonies and protectorates, where it is still functioning as efficiently as it is in the Great Britain today. It may be mentioned here that the first ever stamp of the South Asia was printed in 1852 from Karachi, Pakistan (then part of the British Empire) and was known as Scinde (Sind) Dak.

Four major eras of the British postal system can be best described as the Victorian, King George V, King Edward VIII and the present Queen Elizabeth II. The Penny Black series of the Victorian times is the most famous that also includes the world’s first postage stamp in the shape as we know it.

My album starts from the King George V era and the stamps in the left lower column bear the portrait of King George V, issued in 1912s onwards. These are followed by stamps bearing portrait of King Edward VIII, issued in 1930s (stamps in the left column over the King George V stamps and the second column from the left).

The bulk of my stamps are of the King Elizabeth II era, starting from her coronation in 1952 till date.

I will continue to share pages from my stamp album of British stamps in days to come.

Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain (Wikipedia)

The First Stamps

The Scinde Dak

A page from my stamp album - USA (2)

2010-08-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

The US air Mail stamps appeared as early as 1918 with the inauguration of the Washington – Philadelphia – New York air link. A number of stamps were issued between 1918 and 1975 when the domestic air mail finally came to an end. Though, the international air mail continued till 1995.

The earliest stamps that I have of the US Air Mail are at top left corner above, which were issued in August 1947. I also have a set of four stamps in the fifth row that were issued in 1960.

I have more airmail stamps, which were issued subsequently, and will appear as I unfold my stamp album.

Related Link: List of United States airmail stamps (Wikipedia)

A page from my stamp album - Iran (visiting Pakistani Presidents)

2010-08-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Iran and Pakistan have long friendly ties since independence of Pakistan in 1947. Iran was the first country to recognize the independent status of Pakistan upon its independence from the British India in 1947. The then Shah of Iran, Reza Shah Pehalvi, was among the first few heads of the states to have visited Pakistan.

These friendly gestures were also reciprocated by the Pakistan presidents. Sikander Mirza, who ws the president of Pakistan in 1956 paid an official visit to Iran in 1956. The Iran Post issued a commemorative stamp (left) priced at 1 Riyal. In 1959, when President Muhammad Ayub Khan visited Iran, a commemorative stamp of 6 Riyal was issued (right).

Both stamps are from my stamp album.

A page from my stamp album - Mexico

2010-08-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

A page from my stamp album - Iran (Islamic Republic of)

2010-08-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Soon after the successful Islamic Revolution in Iran and with the exodus of the Shah of Iran, the former monarch of the Imperial Iran, there were no stamps readily available to reflect the aspirations of the new government. Therefore the old stamps of Imperial Iran bearing the portrait of Raza Shah Pehalvi, the Shah of Iran, were obliterated with dark vertical black lines (left column from the page from my stamp album above) and the stamps over printed with “Islamic Revolution ("Inqelab-e-Islami in Persian).”

On the first anniversary of the Islamic revolution many stamps were issued, especially stamps 2-4 in the second column from the left and stamps 2-3 in the third column from the left.

Rhodesia – Zambia and Zimbabwe

2010-08-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

The present day Zimbabwe and Zambia have once been associated with the British and were called Rhodesia and referred to as Northern and Southern Rhodesia. That was before 1964. In 1964, the Northern Rhodesia proclaimed independence and renamed itself as Zambia. Since Northern Rhodesia became extinct, the Southern Rhodesia renamed itself simply Rhodesia. However, the British never accepted this change and continued to be called Rhodesia as the southern Rhodesia.

The status quo continued till 1979, when Rhodesia again fell back to the colonial rule in 1980 and was continued to be called Southern Rhodesia by the British, as for the British, they had never recognized the independent status of Rhodesia. However, the Rhodesian always wanted an independent status and in April 1980 became an independent state of Republic of Zimbabwe.

A page from my stamp album - France

2010-08-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

The French postal history dates back to 1849 when a stamp of 10c was issued. But my stamp album starts from the French stamps issued in 1940-41 onwards (top left column of the page from my stamp album).

A page from my stamp album - Lundy (UK)

2010-08-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Lundy is the largest island in the Bristol Channel, lying 12 miles (19 km) off the coast of Devon, England, approximately one third of the distance across the channel between England and Wales. It measures about 3 miles (5 km) by 0.75 miles (1.2 km). Lundy gives its name to a British sea area and is one of the islands of England. As of 2007, the population of the Island was only 28.

Owing to a decline in population and lack of interest in the mail contract, the GPO ended its presence at the end of 1927. For the next couple of years "King" Harman handled the mail to and from the island without charge. On 1 November 1929 he decided to offset the expense by issuing a series of private postage stamps, with a value expressed in "Puffins". The printing of Puffin stamps continues to this day. They have to be put on the bottom left hand corner of the envelope, so that the mainland sorting offices can process them: their cost includes the standard Royal Mail charges for onward delivery. Puffins are a type of stamp known to philatelists as a "local carriage label". Issues of increasing value were made over the years, including air mail, featuring a variety of people. Many are now highly sought-after by collectors.

Lundy Island continues to issue stamps with the latest issues being in 2006 (100th anniversary of the wreck HMS Montagu) and 2008 (50th birthday of MS Oldenburg). The value of the early issues has risen substantially over the years. The stamps of Lundy Island serve to cover the postage of letters and cards from the island to the nearest GPO post box on the mainland for the many thousands of annual visitors, and have become part of the collection of the many British Local Posts collectors. These stamps appeared in 1970s in the Rosen Catalogue of British Local Stamps, and in the Phillips Modern British Locals CD Catalogue, published since 2003.

The stamps from my album were issued in 1962 as part of an anti Malaria campaign.

Text Source: Wikipedia

Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda

2010-08-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda were once British colonies. The stamps in those days generally bore the portrait of King George with Lake Naivasha in the background. The stamps in left column above were printed in late 1930s.

The stamps bearing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II are of the period after her coronation, especially 1959. These stamps continued till the three courtiers became independent. Tanganyika on independence split in to today's Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. All three countries became independent states in the early 60s.

Lake Naivasha (Wikipedia)

Tanganyika (Wikipedia)

A page from my stamp album - USA and US Postal History

2010-08-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

The postal history of USA dates back to 1775 when Benjamin Franklin appointed first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress. But this did not mean the issuance of the postage stamps as we use it today. In those days, the letters were taken to a Post Office, where the postmaster would note the postage in the upper right corner. The postage rate was based on the number of sheets in the letter and the distance it would travel. Postage could be paid in advance by the writer, collected from the addressee on delivery, or paid partially in advance and partially upon delivery.

Almost some 67 years later, Alexander M. Greig’s City Dispatch Post, a private New York City carrier, issued the first adhesive stamps in the United States on February 1, 1842. The Post Office Department bought Greig’s business and continued use of adhesive stamps to prepay postage. However, the US Congress approved the issue of postage stamps March 3, 1847 and the first general issue of the US postage stamp took place on July 1, 1847.

Of the postage stamps initially issued, one of the stamps priced at five cents, depicted Benjamin Franklin, while the other, a ten-cent stamp, pictured George Washington. Clerks used scissors to cut the stamps from pre-gummed, non-perforated sheets. Only Franklin and Washington appeared on stamps until 1856, when a five-cent stamp honoring Thomas Jefferson was issued. A two-cent Andrew Jackson stamp was added in 1863. George Washington has appeared on more U.S. postage stamps than any other person. Until the US government-issued stamps became obligatory on January 1, 1856, other payment methods remained legal.

The first printed stamped envelopes were issued July 1, 1853. The United States issued the postal cards May 1873 after the Australians issued their first post card in 1869. Postal cards, known today as stamped cards, are produced by the government and carry preprinted postage, unlike privately produced postcards, which do not bear postage. Postal cards were sold at face value until January 10, 1999, when a charge for the cost of manufacture was added.

The US post issued its first set of commemorative stamps in 1893 on the eve of World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The first triangular postage stamp issued in 1997 and the first round stamp in 2000. The US post issued its first stamp honouring an American woman in 1902. Native Americans were portrayed in a general way on several earlier stamps, but the first to feature a specific individual was 1907’s five-cent stamp honoring Pocahontas. In 1940, a ten-cent stamp commemorating Booker T. Washington became the first to honour an African American. In 1992 the US post issued self-adhesive stamps and the “Forever” stamp was issued 2007.

My collection of US stamps is quite elaborate and I will continue to share various pages from my stamp album to share my collection of US stamps in days to come.

A page from my stamp album - Singapore

2010-08-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Today Singapore and Malaysia are two different independent states. But these two have been part of the once larger British Empire since the early 19th century. The stamps shown above (left column)are of the period of the times when the two states were under the British dominion.

The occupation of Singapore and Older Malaya dates back to 1818, when one Sir Stamford Raffles (an East India Company employee and Lieutenant Governor of Java) identified Singapore island as excellently placed to create another free port and end the remaining Dutch control of the area. After negotiations with the rulers of Johor, a commercial base was established in 1819 and grew to eclipse both Penang and Malacca. By 1824 Singapore had been ceded perpetually to the Company and these British controlled areas had become known as the Straits Settlements.

In 1867 the Settlement became a British Crown Colony (administered from London and not India) and by 1876 three other Malayan states had a British Resident or advisor, the fourth in 1888. The Sultans were allowed to remain and were duly respected, empowered to act as figureheads and religious leaders, but the British effectively ran everything else. In 1896 Perak, Pahang, Negri Sembilan and Selangor were formed into the Federated Malay States.

The un-federated States of Kelantan, Kedah, Perilis and Terengganu accepted British advisors in 1904 and Johor followed in 1914, a few years after Sultan Abu Bakar (who had held the British at arm's length throughout his reign) died and was succeeded by his son Sultan Ibrahim.

On 16 September 1963, Singapore merged with the Federation of Malaya alongside Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. This marked the end of a 144-year period of British rule in Singapore. The union, however, was rocky from the start. The ideological differences between leaders of the State of Singapore and the federal government of Malaysia resulted in frequent disagreement in politics, economic, financial and social policies. The conflict spread to the populace, resulting in major racial riots in 1964 in Singapore. In 1965, Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman decided upon the expulsion of Singapore from the Federation, leading to the Independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.

A page from my stamp album - Sweden (Kingdom of)

2010-08-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

A page from my stamp album - Holland (Nederland)

2010-08-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

A page from my stamp album - Iran (2)

2010-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Gilbert and Ellice Islands

2010-08-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

Perhaps not many would remember the name of Gilbert and Ellice Islands since these have merged into new countries decades ago. The Gilbert & Ellice Islands comprise a group of islands spread over two million square miles north of Fiji in the Pacific Ocean. Early in World War II the northern part of the groups was captured by the Japanese (Tarawa on 1oth December, 1941). The European population was withdrawn but some control was maintained at Funafuti in the Ellice Islands until Tarawa was recaptured by the Americans in November 1943. Ocean Island was held by the Japanese until August 1945.

These Islands became a protectorate of the Great Britain in 1892. Later these become a British Colony in 1916. On 1 January 1976, these islands were separated into two different colonies. The Gilbert Islands became part of the Kiribati in 1079, while the Ellice Islands became Tuvalu in 1978.

The first stamps of the Islands were issued in 1911 as the regular mail service was inaugurated. Before that the mail was subject to ships arriving into the Islands. The first stamp was in fact a Fijian stamp with the overprint GILBERT & ELLICE / PROTECTORATE. The George V stamps were issued in 1912 with the own name of the Islands. The same stamps were replaced with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of England as seen above.

Related Reading:
First stamp of Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1946-75)