Italian Colonies and Former Colonies
Contents
Italian East Africa / Italian Colonies (General issues)
EritreaSomaliaLibya
The following listings for post-Independence Libya can be found in the Middle East section:
- Kingdom regional issues (1951-1969)
- Kingdom federal issues (1951-1969)
- Republic and People's Republic (1969-present)
Background
The Italian Colonies of Eritrea, Somalia, Cyrenaica and Tripolitania were occupied by British military forces in 1942-43. The territories were initially subject to British military administration and subsequently under civil British administration. British control in Eritrea ended before 15th September 1952, when Eritrea formed a federation with Ethiopia. Somalia reverted to Italian control on 1st April 1950, and then became independent in 1960. Cyrenaica and Tripolitania merged with Fezzan and Ghadames on 24th December 1951 to form the independent Kingdom of Libya.
The first revenue issues produced under British Administration were provisionals, pending the introduction of new designs. The requirement for revenue adhesives was fulfilled by overprinting pre-occupation revenue stamps of the Italian Colonies, which bore the portrait of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The overprinting is attributed by Barefoot to Maggi of Tripoli, though it seems likely that the Eritrea provisionals may have been the work of a printer in East Africa rather than Libya. It is not known who designed or produced the Inland Revenue key types of Eritrea and Somalia.
Three different types were overprinted - two in large format and one small. The first large format stamp, showing the king facing to the left of the stamp, had been introduced in 1923. A new large format, with the king facing right (and looking, if anything, younger!) was issued in 1931. The smaller format inscribed AFRICA ITALIANA was produced in 1939.
 Large formats showing king facing left (1923) or right (1931) |
 Small type (1939) |
No proof material or archive documents are known from the British Occupation or post-Independence period. Print quantities are unknown, and it is possible that unlisted stamps may yet come to light. Dates of issue shown in this listing have been inferred from cancels or from other circumstantial factors, such as the change of administration from BMA (military) to BA (civil) in the case of Tripolitania.
Acknowledgments
Published resources
Louis S Alfano, Municipal Stamps of the Italian Colonies (privately published, 1983)
J Barefoot Ltd, British Commonwealth Revenues (8th Edition, privately published, 2008)
J Barefoot Ltd, Italy Revenues (1st Edition, privately published, 2013)
Unificato, Marche da Bollo catalogazione e quotazione, 2016/18 (5th edition, 2016)
Cristiano Bussoli, online catalogue at http://xoomer.virgilio.it/cbussoli (retrieved 3rd September 2009)
Note: some illustrations on Bussoli's website have been created digitally (eg with overprints added to basic stamps) rather than scanned directly from actual stamps, so have not been used to illustrate the www.revrevd.com website
Note: most of the significant research in this field is by Michele Caso and Sergio Luconi, and published in Fiscali, the journal of the Italian revenue society AFISCAL (Associazione Fiscalisti). It is not always clear from the journal headings which of the two writers have authored a given article, so all articles by either or both of them are listed here under their joint names for ease of reference, except the single-page advertisement by Luconi alone.
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Occupazione Britannica delle Colonie Italiane', Fiscali, #3 (March 1987), pp34-36 and #5 (September 1987), pp55-60
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Note e notizie: Occupazione britannica dell'Eritrea', Fiscali, #11 (1989), p24 [Asmara Municipals]
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Marche da bollo Occupazione Britannica Colonie Italiane: Seconda Edizione', Fiscali (Estratto), (publication date unspecified but must be c1990), pp2-12
Note: this is an updated version of Caso & Luconi's 1987 listing. Oddly I have two slightly different copies of this second edition, the only difference (as far as I can see) being that one includes two Asmara values which the other does not (10s on 5c violet and 10s on 25c grey).
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Marche da bollo: Seconda Edizione - Eritrea federata all'Etiopia', Fiscali, (publication date unspecified but must be c1991), pp2-4 [Ethiopian administration of Eritrea]
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Note e notizie: Fiscali postbellici d'Eritrea', Fiscali, #18 (c1992), pp114-115 [Ethiopian administration of Eritrea]
Martin Erler, British Occupation of Italian Colonies WWII Revenue Stamps (ORA-Verlag, 1980)
Ulf J Lindahl, 'Editor's Note', Menelik's Journal, vol 21 no 2 (April-June 2005), p19 [Asmara Municipal issue of 1958]
Sergio Luconi, 'Cerco queste marche fiscali', advertisement in Fiscali, edition and date unknown [Luconi's personal wants list]
Graham C Scott, 'Eritrean Revenue Stamps', Menelik's Journal, vol 21 no 1 (January-March 2005), pp19-20 [Haile Selassie issue]
Graham C Scott, 'British Occupation of Eritrea: Revenue Stamps - Part I: Asmara Municipality Revenue & Part II: Eritrean Inland Revenue', Menelik's Journal, vol 22 no 2 (April-June 2006), pp24-27
Graham C Scott, 'British Occupation of Eritrea: Revenue Stamps - Part III: Eritrean Inland Revenue Stamps 1946-1952', (unpublished manuscript written c2008)
Mohamed Ali Siala, 'Libya: duty/revenue stamps since 1880', London Philatelist, vol 105 (October 1996), pp271-274
Espen Solheim, 'The Eritrean Federation Revenue Stamps picturing Haile Selassie', Menelik's Journal, vol 21 no 2 (April-June 2005), pp18-19
Salvatore Canni, 'Note e notizie: Africa Orientale Italiana', Fiscali, #21 (c1994), pp159-161 [documents from 1937-40]
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Note e notizie: Africa Orientale Italiana', Fiscali, #19 (c1993), p130 [Driving licence stamps of Italian Ethiopia]
Gianni Cavazzoni, 'Catalogo Marche da Bollo delle Colonie Italiane in Africa', Fiscali, #16 (1990), pp1-16 and #17 (1991), pp17-32
Other
Grateful thanks to Joe Ross. Thanks also to my father-in-law David for translating the Arabic inscriptions on modern Libyan and Somali revenues.
Published resources
Louis S Alfano, Municipal Stamps of the Italian Colonies (privately published, 1983)
J Barefoot Ltd, British Commonwealth Revenues (8th Edition, privately published, 2008)
J Barefoot Ltd, Italy Revenues (1st Edition, privately published, 2013)
Unificato, Marche da Bollo catalogazione e quotazione, 2016/18 (5th edition, 2016)
Cristiano Bussoli, online catalogue at http://xoomer.virgilio.it/cbussoli (retrieved 3rd September 2009)
Note: some illustrations on Bussoli's website have been created digitally (eg with overprints added to basic stamps) rather than scanned directly from actual stamps, so have not been used to illustrate the www.revrevd.com website
Note: most of the significant research in this field is by Michele Caso and Sergio Luconi, and published in Fiscali, the journal of the Italian revenue society AFISCAL (Associazione Fiscalisti). It is not always clear from the journal headings which of the two writers have authored a given article, so all articles by either or both of them are listed here under their joint names for ease of reference, except the single-page advertisement by Luconi alone.
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Occupazione Britannica delle Colonie Italiane', Fiscali, #3 (March 1987), pp34-36 and #5 (September 1987), pp55-60
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Note e notizie: Occupazione britannica dell'Eritrea', Fiscali, #11 (1989), p24 [Asmara Municipals]
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Marche da bollo Occupazione Britannica Colonie Italiane: Seconda Edizione', Fiscali (Estratto), (publication date unspecified but must be c1990), pp2-12
Note: this is an updated version of Caso & Luconi's 1987 listing. Oddly I have two slightly different copies of this second edition, the only difference (as far as I can see) being that one includes two Asmara values which the other does not (10s on 5c violet and 10s on 25c grey).
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Marche da bollo: Seconda Edizione - Eritrea federata all'Etiopia', Fiscali, (publication date unspecified but must be c1991), pp2-4 [Ethiopian administration of Eritrea]
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Note e notizie: Fiscali postbellici d'Eritrea', Fiscali, #18 (c1992), pp114-115 [Ethiopian administration of Eritrea]
Martin Erler, British Occupation of Italian Colonies WWII Revenue Stamps (ORA-Verlag, 1980)
Ulf J Lindahl, 'Editor's Note', Menelik's Journal, vol 21 no 2 (April-June 2005), p19 [Asmara Municipal issue of 1958]
Sergio Luconi, 'Cerco queste marche fiscali', advertisement in Fiscali, edition and date unknown [Luconi's personal wants list]
Graham C Scott, 'Eritrean Revenue Stamps', Menelik's Journal, vol 21 no 1 (January-March 2005), pp19-20 [Haile Selassie issue]
Graham C Scott, 'British Occupation of Eritrea: Revenue Stamps - Part I: Asmara Municipality Revenue & Part II: Eritrean Inland Revenue', Menelik's Journal, vol 22 no 2 (April-June 2006), pp24-27
Graham C Scott, 'British Occupation of Eritrea: Revenue Stamps - Part III: Eritrean Inland Revenue Stamps 1946-1952', (unpublished manuscript written c2008)
Mohamed Ali Siala, 'Libya: duty/revenue stamps since 1880', London Philatelist, vol 105 (October 1996), pp271-274
Espen Solheim, 'The Eritrean Federation Revenue Stamps picturing Haile Selassie', Menelik's Journal, vol 21 no 2 (April-June 2005), pp18-19
Salvatore Canni, 'Note e notizie: Africa Orientale Italiana', Fiscali, #21 (c1994), pp159-161 [documents from 1937-40]
Michele Caso & Sergio Luconi, 'Note e notizie: Africa Orientale Italiana', Fiscali, #19 (c1993), p130 [Driving licence stamps of Italian Ethiopia]
Gianni Cavazzoni, 'Catalogo Marche da Bollo delle Colonie Italiane in Africa', Fiscali, #16 (1990), pp1-16 and #17 (1991), pp17-32
Other
Grateful thanks to Joe Ross. Thanks also to my father-in-law David for translating the Arabic inscriptions on modern Libyan and Somali revenues.
