Postage stamps and postal history of Italian East Africa

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Postage stamps and postal history of Italian East Africa are related to stamps -and their history- issued by the Kingdom of Italy between 1936 and 1941 for use in Italian East Africa, called in Italian Africa Orientale Italiana (A.O.I.). The A.O.I. was made of Italian Eritrea,[1] Ethiopia [2] and Italian Somalia.[3]

History

Italy had possessed colonial territories in eastern Africa since the end of the 19th century. One of the first was the Benadir around actual Mogadiscio in Somalia, that later was extended and become the Somalia italiana with the inclusion in 1926 of the "Oltre Giuba" territory.[4] Some famous stamp emissions were issued to commemorate this expansion.[5]

In Eritrea was created the first official Italian possession in east Africa, called Colonia Eritrea: on January first, 1893 was issued the first Stamp series,[6] followed by the first Postal cards with inserted stamps [7] and by the first Post notes.[8]

In 1936 the Kingdom of Italy annexed Ethiopia and created the "Africa Orientale Italiana". The stamp emissions were done until WWII, when the Italian East Africa was conquered by the Allies in 1941.

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On 22 May 1936, three stamps (in just conquered and created A.O.I.) were issued -25c, 30c and 50c- featuring the image of Emperor Victor Emmanuel III. Later in the year on 5 Dec, four additional stamps were issued -10c, 20c, 75c and 1.25l- also featuring Victor Emmanuel with a backdrop scenes of Ethiopia.All of the stamps were inscribed in Roman, Arabic and Amharic scripts, and included the date: 9 May 1936 to commemorate the day that Ethiopia was annexed by Italy.The occupation stamps were replaced with Stamps of Italian East Africa on 7 Feb, 1938. Michael Adkins [9]

The most famous series of AOI stamps were those called "Pittoriche", issued in 1938 [10] and 1939/1940.[11] The "Buono Posta Aerea" of April 1941 is the only one showing the former British Somaliland annexed to A.O.I in a stamp map of Italian East Africa.[12]

Notes

  1. Colonia Eritrea stamps
  2. Etiopia italiana stamps
  3. Somalia italiana stamps
  4. Olte Giuba stamps
  5. ALBUM – Oltre Giuba (Trans-Juba), Italian Colony (1924 – 1925)
  6. First stamp issue of 1893
  7. Postal Cards and Stamps
  8. First Post notes
  9. Album of Michael Adkins ([1])
  10. Serie Pittorica 1938
  11. Serie Pittorica 1939
  12. Buono Posta Aerea Aprile 1941

See also

Bibliography

  • Bianchi, Paolo. Storia dei servizi postali della Somalia Italiana dalle origini al 1941: con catalogo dei francobolli degli annullamenti = The postal history of Italian Somaliland to 1941, with a catalogue of the cancellations. Vignola: Edizioni Vaccari, 1992 ISBN 88-85335-04-7
  • Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. The Stamp Atlas. London: Macdonald, 1986, p. 275. ISBN 0-356-10862-7
  • Sirotti, Luigi and Nuccio Taroni. Le Occupazioni Britanniche Delle Colonie Italiane 1941-1950: storia postale. Sassone S.R.L. Roma, 2006
  • Stanley Gibbons. Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Part 8 Italy & Switzerland. 6th edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2003 ISBN 0-85259-554-9

External links

  • Virgin Stamps ([2])