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[4th August 1859] 1986 SG793 Sc-C210 |
Commemorative 1903 SG63 Sc66 50 years of French occupation |
Airmail 1938 SG217 Sc-C1 |
Charity 1915 SG107 Sc-B1 Red Cross o/p |
Official 1958 SG-O344 Sc-O1 |
Post Due 1903 SG-D78 Sc-J1 |
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Peace and Commerce 1892 SG31 Sc40 |
first real post due 1958 SG-D102 Sc-J9 |
This is the second French colony to except itself from the general issues, and also illustrates the keyplate issues mentioned above. The first issue, 4th August 1859, a locally engraved portrait of Napoleon III, is costly and so shown in a 1960 commemorative, part of an elegant 1960 miniature sheet shown on the back of the first page. The first airmail recognised by Scott is this 1938 issue, although there was a remarkably attractive, regrettably unaffordable 1932 overprint (SG183/Sc180) marking a flight from Noumea to Paris. The pretty first real post due is also shown.
A modest British colonial issue with the first on 10th June 1859. Mackay lists a 1935 airmail but neither Gibbons nor Scott do so.
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10th June 1859 SG2 Sc1 |
Commemorative 1920 SG106 Sc65 Peace Celebration |
Airmail 1983 SG663 Sc-C1 |
Charity 1917 SG80 Sc-B1 Red Cross |
As seen above with Argentina, the geopolitical history of many of the South American countries emerging from the control of Spain in the nineteenth century affects their early stamp issues. The Spanish Viceroyalty of Granada covered what is now Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. An uprising in 1810 overthrew Spanish control and the Republic of Colombia, covering the same area, was established in 1819.
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Grenadine Confederation [1859] Colombia commemorative 1959 SG989 Sc709 |
When Ecuador and Venezuela left the Republic in 1830, the remainder became the Republic of New Granada and in 1858 the Grenadine Confederation which issued stamps in 1859. In the same year an anti-clerical movement ousted the Catholic government and established the United States of New Granada and then the United States of Colombia, these entities issuing stamps in 1861 and 1862 respectively. The first Republic of Colombia stamps were issued in 1886. →