The British Postal Museum & Archive puts overprints from Libya online

Press

20 September 2011

The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) is proud to have digitised all existing overprinted stamp registration sheets from the reign of King George VI, and these are now available via its online catalogue.

This collection of definitives, commemoratives, high value definitive stamps and postage due label registration sheets include overprints relating to the official use of these stamps in various territories under British control, including the Gulf and former Italian colonies in Africa, occupied by British troops during WWII.

Holding particular political and historical significance today, registration sheets overprinted for ‘British Military Administration’ and ‘British Administration’ in ‘Tripolitania’, a historic region in the former province of Libya are included in the collection. These stamps provide a reminder of British domination of this former Italian colony, both in terms of its military administration and also on a civilian basis. Tripolitania included Tripoli in the old system and these registration sheets document the fact that Britain actually set up the combined state of Libya. The British backed King Idris to become Emir of Tripolitania who also proclaimed an independent Emirate of Cyrenaica in 1949.

Various postal agencies in the Gulf used British overprinted stamps after 1948, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat and Qatar.

Stuart Aitken, Collections Assistant, commented:

“British overprinted stamps exist as a great reminder of British colonial history; they not only document the central use of British stamps within these territories but also provide a snapshot of the political world map during these periods.”

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