Companhia de Moçambique

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The Companhia de Moçambique was formed in 1888. It administered by concession the central part of Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) from 1891 until 1941, when its 50 years charter terminated(prolonged from 25 years in 1897).

Labuan

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Labuan is an island off the northwest coast of Borneo. In 1840 the British used the previously uninhabited island as a base for operations against piracy and later as a station for the submarine cable between Singapore and Hong Kong. The Sultan of Brunei ceded Labuan to Britain in 1846, and the island became a Crown Colony in 1848. It was made a part of North Borneo in January 1890, then in October 1906 joined to the Straits Settlements.

Penny Black

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The first modern postage stamp was the famous British Penny Black. The penny black, along with the two pence blue stamp, was issued May 6, 1840 (although there is an instance of postal use before this date).

The use of stamps became such an important innovation for England that, within 20 years, most countries had adopted the use of stamps (for example: Brazil in 1843, the United States in 1847, France in 1849, Spain in 1850).

Moldovia, Wallachia and Romania

Alexander John Suza
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Romania's early stamps developed from those of Moldova and Wallachia, which united to form the core of the new Romania.

In 1877, Romania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire and, following a Russian-Romanian-Turkish war, its independence was recognized by the Treaty of Berlin, 1878, making it the first independent national state in the eastern half of Europe. Following the war Romania acquired Dobruja, but it was forced to cede southern Bessarabia to Russia.

Portugal

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In the mid 19th Century, Portugal has an extensive overseas empire, although its power in Europe was fading.

The early issues from 1853 had the monarch's head, white and featureless, embossed on a coloured background.

Spain

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The first stamps of Spain were issued on 1 January 1850 and depicted Queen Isabella II. Two designs were used: the 6c stamp of 1850, also known as the Spanish penny black', shows a profile of the queen facing left; and the other denominations use a similar profile facing right. Her features graced most Spanish stamps until her abdication in 1868.

To avoid defacing the features of Isabella, an unusual postmark was devised which was intended to frame her portrait, the "Arana" (Spider), which became mandatory on January 24, 1850 and leaves a large open space in the center.

Syria

An independent Arab Kingdom of Syria was established in 1920, under Faisal I of the Hashemite family, who later became the the King of Iraq, but his rule over Syria lasted only a few months. After a conflict between Arab forces and French troops, the League of Nations put Syria under a French mandate, which lasted until the Second World War.

Ottoman Empire



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When adhesive postage stamps first came into being in the 1840s, the Middle East, with the exception of Persia, was part of the Ottoman Empire, and they did not begin issuing their own postage stamps until the 1860s.

The first stamp of the Ottoman Empire, present day Turkey, is shown in the image. 

German Colonies

The German Empire developed overseas colonies from about 1884 until 1919, when they were confiscated by the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I.

German States

Prior to German Unification, stamps were issued by a number of individual Germanic Kingdoms, Duchies and Free Cities.

Bavaria was the first state to issue postage stamps in 1849, followed soon by Baden, Bergedorf, Braunschweig, Bremen, Hamburg, Hannover, Heligoland, Lübek, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg, Prussia, Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Württemberg.

The House of Thurn and Taxis, while not a state, transported mail, and in 1852, they also began issuing their own postage stamps.

United States

US classic stamps 'officially' begin with the first US government issue on July 1, 1847, but as early as 1843, there were privately made adhesive stamps in use in the United States. 

Switzerland

The classic stamps of Switzerland stamps are some of the most beautiful ever issued. The stamps depict the centuries of historical events, the famous people, and the stunning scenery of this Alpine country. 

Austria, Austria-Hungarian Empire

Austria is known by German speaking people as "Österreich", which originally meant "East of the Reich or Empire". The Empire in this case, was the "Holy Roman Empire".

The House of Habsburg seized Austria in 1282 and ruled, without a break until 1918. During this reign, the Austrian Empire extended over Czecho-Slovakia, Hungary, part of Russia, Poland, Rumania, Yugoslavia and a smaller part of Italy.

The Austrian Empire period consists of two parts:

• the original Empire, which lasted from 1804 to 1867, and was founded by the Habsburg monarch, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, who became Francis I of Austria, as a state comprising his personal lands, within and outside of the former Holy Roman Empire
• The Empire of Austria-Hungary, which lasted from 1867 to 1918, and was a monarchical union with the Kingdom of Hungary.  The Habsburg monarch, Emperor Franz Josef I reigned simultaneously as the Emperor of Austria and as the King of Hungary.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved by the Treaty of Versailles, after the end of World War I, and all of its possessions were broken up into independent countries.

Russia

Russian classic stamps were issued under three different political entities:

• the Russian Empire, up to 1917
• the confused period of the Russian Civil War, from 1917-1922
• the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Cyrillic "CCCP"), from 1922

France

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The early postal arrangements of France were often disturbed by war and revolution.  French stamps provide a very interesting record of the political changes in the country, and provide one of the best illustrations of how stamps demarcate the periods of a nation's history.

Greece

The large Hermes heads of Greece were issued on October 1, 1861, the first stamp issues of that country. They are considered by many to be among the most beautiful of the classic issues of that period.

German Empire

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Early German Empire stamps are fascinating, reflecting the growth of German industry and military self-confidence culminating in the disaster of the First World War.

Welcome!

Welcome to this new blog on worldwide classic stamps. Since 1840 postage stamps have provided a insight into the issuing country's culture, politics and economy. The early stamps, like this famous Penny Black, are also frequently quite beautiful miniature compositions.

The easiest way to start collecting stamps is with a worldwide collection, which can be easy and cheap. After a while, the sheer size of issues around the world may overwhelm you. My solution to keeping my collection to a manageable size was to concentrate on the earlier issues, stopping at around the 1930s - or around the time photogravure rather than traditional engraving became commonplace.

A good catalogue is essential, of course, but what I was looking for was something that provided more information on the background of each country's early stamps. As I couldn't find anything that suited me, I decided to create my own resource - and here it is for you to share - and contribute to.