A few weeks ago, I wrote about stamps issued by Biafra and Eritrea Since then, I have become acquainted with the stamps issued by Katanga, which like those of Biafra were used in postal systems and which are considered ‘real stamps’ by the philatelic community.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have also learned about the stamps issued in support of UNITA, never used as stamps, but a well documented money-making/publicity-raising strategy. The stamps were widely discussed in the US media at the time, while this H-Net blogpost provides helpful context.
I don’t have copies, but apparently these stamps or maybe these were produced in Cuba, but never used in Western Sahara. Whether they were an attempt to profit off the ‘Saharaoui’ name, or intended as a fundraiser for Polisario is unclear.
Likewise there are Yuri Gagarin stamps issued in the name of Kabinda, two different series stamps issued by Angola, but over-printed as Cabinda.The Gagarin stamps are identified by philatelists as ‘un-authorised’. The over-printed ones are discussed here, by one of the issuers, which accuses the others of being fakes. According to this stamp boards thread, it may be even more complicated than that, but it’s hard to know who to believe. Bill Barclay and Leo Van der Velden suggest that stamps produced bearing the name of South Sudan between 2005 and 2009 are similarly “unauthorised” in their amazing history of South Sudan’s Philatelic History.
Confusingly, non-authorised stamps were also issued in the name of Eritrea at various points, including a “Royal Wedding’ series in the early 80s, and this rather odd set from 1978:
Here’s my attempt at sorting out the differences in status of these stamps:
1. Stamps issued by a country; used internally and internationally (stamp)
2. Stamps issued with authorisation of country, but not in circulation in them (Liberia ; Mozambique post 2008)
3. ‘Stamps’ not issued by a country / not used in postal system (cinderella)
4. Stamps issued by insurgent/secessionist movement ; never used (Eritrea 1978; UNITA?)
5. Stamps issued by insurgent/secessionist movement ; used internally (Biafra; Katanga)
6. Stamps issued by insurgent/secessionist movement ; used internally and externally (examples?)
7. Stamps issued in name of secessionist movement, but not by them (Western Sahara? Cabinda?)
I’m less concerned with whether or not they are ‘legal’ but with what they tell us about the states/movements, but the permutations are more complex than I had at first appreciated.
Increasingly, even ‘real’ countries have turned to the fundraising potential of stamps, as discussed recently in the Economist. Ironically this over production drives down their value, and makes them much less interesting to people like me.
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