Revenue Reverend
  • Welcome
  • Couldn't help noticing...
  • Alphabetical list of territories
  • Contact me
  • Africa (East)
    • British East Africa
    • East Africa & Uganda / KUT
    • Kenya
    • Tanganyika / Tanzania
    • Uganda
    • Zanzibar
  • Africa (Southern)
    • South Africa (Union / Republic)
    • South Africa - Entertainments (Cape etc)
    • South Africa - Entertainments (Natal)
    • South West Africa / Namibia
  • Asia
    • Brunei
    • Burma
    • Burma stamp paper
    • Labuan
    • Malaya (FMS)
    • Malaya (Japanese and Thai Occupation)
    • Maldive Islands
    • Mauritius
    • Mauritius supplementary information
    • North Borneo / Sabah
    • Seychelles
    • Seychelles supplementary information
  • Europe
    • GB and Ireland Excise
    • Malta
  • Former Italian Colonies
    • Eritrea (British Occupation)
    • Eritrea (Ethiopian and Independent)
    • Somalia (British Occupation)
    • Somalia (ITT and Independent)
    • Libya (British Occupation)
  • Middle East
    • Abu Dhabi
    • Aden
    • Bahrain
    • Dubai
    • Euro-Arab Chambers of Commerce
    • Kuwait
    • Libya (Kingdom regional issues)
    • Libya (Kingdom federal issues)
    • Libya (Republic and People's Republic)
    • Oman
    • Palestine
    • Qatar
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Syria
    • Syria (Syndicates and Charities)
    • Syria (Key)
    • Trucial States
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Yemen (Northern / Kingdom / YAR)
    • Yemen (Southern / PDR)
  • West Indies
    • Antigua
    • Bahamas
    • Barbados
    • British Honduras / Belize
    • British Virgin Islands
    • Cayman Islands
    • Dominica
    • Grenada
    • Jamaica
    • Jamaica supplementary information
    • Leeward Islands
    • Montserrat
    • St Kitts-Nevis
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Turks and Caicos Islands

Libya: Kingdom federal issues (1951-1969)
 

An illustrated key to Libyan revenues since 1943 can be found here


Chapter overview
  • Mujahid provisionals
  • King Idris provisionals
  • Large Arms key types*
  • Small Arms key types*
  • Tajura Mosque
  • Benghazi Town Hall*
  • Oil wells*
  • Stamp paper

*Note: the dates of issue in the sections marked with an asterisk above are derived from the material in the Davies collection of Libya Revenues ex the Bradbury Wilkinson archive, which is housed in the British Library.  Dates and requisition numbers of individual printings are footnoted below each set listing, though print quantities are not known at present since the Davies material does not record them.

Stamps which are known from the Davies collection but have not been seen as issued stamps are listed in square brackets.


Mujahid provisionals
Picture
#1/4
c1951.  Mujahid postage stamps of Cyrenaica with bilingual LIBYA overprint (= SG 140ff) further overprinted Revenue in mixed case (#1/3) or in capitals (#4), in English only.

   1. 50m ultramarine and purple-brown
   3. 200m violet and deep blue
   4. 500m orange-yellow and green

It is possible that these stamps were for use in Cyrenaica only, since Tripolitania and Fezzan did not use millièmes as their currency until 1952.

King Idris provisionals
Picture
#6/7
1954 (earliest known usage).  King Idris postage stamps (= SG 186/7) overprinted REVENUE (sideways reading upwards on 200m, upright on 500m) in English and Arabic.  Perf 11½.  No watermark.

   6. 200m reddish violet and deep blue
   7. 500m orange-yellow and deep green

 
Picture
#11/13
1956 (earliest known usage).  As previous issue but with additional value (100m as SG 185) and overprinted FEDERAL REVENUE in Arabic and English.

   11. 100m carmine and black
   12. 200m reddish violet and deep blue
   13. 500m orange-yellow and deep green

Large Arms key types

Coat of Arms in large format (27 x 32 mm) with curved inscription United Kingdom of Libya at foot.  Perf 11½.  No watermark.  Printed (recess) by Bradbury Wilkinson.
 
Picture
#21/26
a) 1955-60.  Inscribed CONSULAR SERVICE below Arms.
  
   21. 50m purple and deep green
   22. 100m black and red-brown (1958)
   23. 200m black and scarlet
   24. £L¼ green and brown-purple (1958)
   25. £L½ green and violet
   26. £L1 deep blue and deep brown

Individual printings:
   Req 0/100962 (16 May 1955): 50m, 200m, £L½, £1
   Req 0/114938 (29 Aug 1957): 50m
   Req 0/120573 (10 Sep 1958): 50m, 100m, £L¼, £L½, £L1
   Req 0/127689 (21 Dec 1959): 200m
   Req 0/130338 (10 Jun 1960): 50m, 100m, £L¼, £L½, £L1

 
Picture
#31, #33/36
b) 1956-62.  Inscribed FEDERAL REVENUE below Arms.

   31. 50m purple and deep green (1958)
   [32. 100m grey-green and claret (1961)]
   33. 200m black and scarlet
   34. £L¼ green and brown-purple (1958)
   35. £L½ green and violet
   36. £L1 deep blue and deep brown

Individual printings:
   Req 0/104541 (8 Nov 1955): 200m, £L½, £L1 - probably not issued until early 1956
   Req 0/114937  (29 Aug 1957): £L1
   Req 0/120328 (21 Aug 1958): 50m, 200m, £L¼, £L½, £L1
   Req 0/132857 (19 Apr 1961): 100m, 200m, £L½, £L1
   Req 0/136793 (5 Nov 1962): 200m, £L½, £L1

Note: the three values of the first printing (200m, £L½ and £1) are also known with red Specimen overprint, as shown below.
Picture

Small Arms key types

Coat of Arms in smaller format (22 x 26 mm), inscribed United Kingdom of Libya.  Perf 13.  No watermark.
  Printed (recess) by Bradbury Wilkinson.

 

 

Picture
#44/45
a) 1963.  Inscribed CONSULAR SERVICE below Arms.

   [41. 50m purple and deep green]
   [42. 100m grey-green and claret]
   [43. £L¼ green and brown-purple]
   44. £L½ green and violet
   45. £L1 deep blue and deep brown

All values were produced in a single printing (Req 0/137266) dated 15 Jan 1963.


Note: For similar stamps but inscribed KINGDOM OF LIBYA at foot (without UNITED), see #51/53.



 

 

Picture
#46
b) 1963.  Inscribed FEDERAL REVENUE below Arms.

   46. £L1 deep blue and deep brown
   [47. £L3 orange and carmine]

Both values were produced in a single printing (Req 0/136928) dated 20 Nov 1962, with the stamps being issued probably in early 1963.



 

 

Picture
#48

c) 1963.  Inscribed FEDERAL REVENUE below Arms, and PRIORITY reading upwards at sides.

   48. £L1 salmon and olive

Produced in a single printing (Req 0/137090) dated 28 Jan 1963.




Similar small-format Arms types (22 x 26 mm) but inscription at foot changed to Kingdom of Libya.  Perf 13.  No watermark.  Printed (recess) by Bradbury Wilkinson.

 

 

Picture
#52/53
a) 1964-67.  Inscribed CONSULAR SERVICE below Arms.

   [51. £L¼ green and brown-purple (1965)]
   52. £L½ green and violet
   53. £L1 deep blue and deep brown


Individual printings:
   Req 0/142036 (15 Sep 1964): £L½, £L1
   Req 0/144439 (20 Oct 1965): £L¼, £L½, £L1
   Req F/145359 (7 Mar 1967): £L¼, £L½, £L1



 

 

Picture
#56/57
b) 1964-67.  Inscribed REVENUE below Arms.

   56. £L½ green and violet (1967)
   57. £L1 deep blue and deep brown
   58. [£L2 yellow and grey-black (1967)]

Individual printings:
   Req 0/141704 (30 Jul 1964): £L1
   Req F/145624 (29 Aug 1967): £L½, £L1, £L2


Tajura Mosque
Picture
#61/74
c1960s.  Tajura Mosque type similar to T91ff of Tripolitania (see Kingdom regional issues), but without REVENUE in English and inscribed Kingdom of Libya Taxes and Fees at foot in Arabic.  24½ x 29½ mm.  Perf 11½.  No watermark.  Figures of value in same colour as rest of design.  Printer unknown.

 

Picture
#61a (top) and #64 x3 enlarged to show variations in value tablets
   61. 1m grey
   a. Blotches in value tablets
   62. 2m blue
   63. 5m brown
   64. 10m orange
   65. 15m purple
   66. 20m carmine
   67. 25m orange-yellow
   68. 30m brown
   69. 40m green
   70. 50m blue-green
   71. 100m indigo
   72. 250m violet
   74. 1000m rose-lake

Note: Different examples of the same stamp can show variations in the figures of value.  Three examples of #64 are enlarged in the image above right, showing the Arabic figure 1 vertical, slanting slightly and diagonal.  It is not known whether these represent different printings or whether they are variations within the same sheet.


Benghazi Town Hall
Picture
#81/84
1964-68.  Benghazi Town Hall type similar to C51ff of Cyrenaica (see Kingdom regional issues), but inscribed Kingdom of Libya (top) and Taxes and Fees (bottom), in Arabic only.  27 x 32 mm.  Perf 11½.  No wmk.  Printed (recess) by Bradbury Wilkinson.

   81. 5m blue
   82. 10m orange
   83. 20m grey-black
   84. 50m brown
   [85. 100m purple]
   [86. 250m deep green]
   [87. 500m carmine-lake]

Individual printings:
   Req 0/141740 (27 Aug 1964): 10m, 20m, 50m
   Req 0/142540 (undated): 5m, 100m, 250m, 500m
   Req 0/144453 (29 Nov 1965): 5m, 10m, 20m, 50m, 500m
   Req F/144951 (21 Jul 1966): 5m, 10m, 20m, 50m, 100m, 250m, 500m
   Req F/145531 (30 Jun 1967): 10m, 20m, 50m, 100m, 250m, 500m
   Req F/146027 (9 Mar 1968): 10m, 20m, 50m, 100m, 250m, 500m

Oil wells
Picture
#91/93, 95
1968. Coat of Arms and map of Libya featuring oil wells and other national symbols, 27 x 31½ mm.  Inscribed Kingdom of Libya Revenue Department in Arabic and English.  Perf 11½.  No wmk.  Printed (recess) by Bradbury Wilkinson.

   91. 5m green
   92. 10m violet
   93. 20m deep blue
   [94. 30m red-orange]
   95. 50m grey-black
   [96. 100m brown]
   [97. 250m purple]
   [98. 500m deep green]
   [99. 1000m carmine]

All values were produced in a single printing (Req F/146275/307) dated 26 Jul 1968.


Note: For similar stamps overprinted with Arabic letters, see Libya (Republic and People's Republic) #100a/b.

Stamp paper

1950s-60s.  Similar to #61/74 but impressed stamps.

Picture
Z72/77
a) Printed bills of exchange, small figures of value

  Z72. 5m black
  Z73. 6m black
  Z74. 11m black
  Z77. 71m black
Picture
Complete bill showing Z77


 

 

Picture
Z81/82 (no other image of Z82 available)
b) General-purpose stamp paper with impressed stamp measuring 35 x 42 mm, large figures of value.  First recorded usage 1963.

  Z81. 21m blue
  Z82. 31m red-orange

Picture
Upper portion of complete document bearing Z81

Previous page: Libya: Kingdom regional issues
Next page: Libya: Republic and People's Republic
Note: an illustrated key to Libyan revenues since 1943 can be found here
Back to Middle East main menu
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.