Home Catalogue index Volume 1 index Volume 2 index

Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

French West Africa

Afrique Occidentale Française (A.O.F.)

Return To Catalogue - Dahomey - French Guinea - French Sudan - Ivory Coast - Mauritania - Niger - Senegal - Upper Volta

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

Group of French colonies, joined together. The individual colonies were: Dahomey (Benin), French Guinea, French Sudan (now Mali), Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). All of them became independent in 1958.

1944 Symbol of France (Marianne) with 'RF' and cross (design identical to many other French colonies)

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  5 F + 20 F lilac

1945 Two soldiers

  10 c black
  30 c olive
  40 c grey
  50 c orange
  60 c brown
  70 c lilac
  80 c green
  1 F brown
  1.20 F black 
  1.50 F brown
  2 F yellow
  2.40 F red
  3 F red
  4 F blue
  4.50 F red
  5 F black
  10 F green
  15 F orange
  20 F green

All these stamps seem to have a yellowish or lilac underprint.

1945 Felix Eboue, design identical to many other French Colonies, inscription 'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANCAISE'

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  2 F brown
  25 F green

1945 Stamp day, stamp of France 'JOURNEE DU TIMBRE 1945', overprinted, 'AOF'

  2 F + 3 F red

1947 New permanent set, various designs, inscription 'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANCAISE'

  10 c blue (man dancing with gun in Mauritania)
  30 c red (bridge in Soudan)
  40 c green (boat on river in Niger)
  50 c red (mountains and trees landscape of Niger)
  60 c olive green (coconut palms)
  80 c red (weaving in Dahomey)
  1 F red (people in the desert of Senegal)
  1.20 F green (hippo and crocodile of Ivory Coast)
  1.50 F blue (man climbing palm tree in French Guinea)
  2 F orange (local statue)
  3 F brown (local woman)
  3.60 F red (local building)
  4 F blue (man of Dahomey)
  5 F green (woman of Mauritania)
  6 F blue (woman with fancy hairstyle of Guinea)
  10 F red (mosque of Jenne in Soudan)
  15 F black (train in Senegal)
  20 F brown (girl from Ivory Coast)
  25 F green (people washing clothes in Niger)

1950 Inscription 'OEUVRES SOCIALES F.O.M.'

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  10 F + 2 F brown and red

1952 100 years of military medal, similar in design to many other French Colonies, inscription 'NLLE CALEDONIE ET DEPENDCES'

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  15 F red, black, yellow and green

1952(?) Treich Laplene

  40 F red

1953(?) Doctor looking in microscope

  15 F brown, grey and green

1954(?) People with rockpaintings, ship and cattle

  25 F lilac, brown and blue

1955 Ballay

  8 F brown and blue

1955 Nature protection

  5 F brown (chimpansee)
  8 F green and brown (pangolin)

1955 Rotary

  15 F blue

1956 Various designs, 'FIDES' in left lower corner

  1 F green (date palm trees in Mauritania)
  2 F green and blue (bridge in Guinea)
  3 F brown and lilac (railway in Upper-Volta)
  4 F red (cattle in Niger)
  15 F grey and blue (harvesting in Senegal)
  17 F grey and blue (man in front of river view of French Soudan)
  20 F brown (palm oil factory in Dahomey)
  30 F brown and grey (mining in Ivory Coast)

1956 Coffee and banana plants

  15 F green and blue (coffee)
  20 F red, green and grey (banana, 1958)

The 20 F exists with overprint 'REPUBLIQUE DU GUINEE 45 F' in red to be used in Guinea.

1957 Maltese order (jeeps)

  15 F brown and red

1958 Stamp day ('Journee du timbre')

  15 F blue, black and orange (inscription 'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANCAISE RF')
  20 F blue, black and orange (no country name 'RF' changed to 'CF', 1959)

1958 Abidjan bridge

  20 F black and blue

1958 Tourist congress, map of Africa

  20 F grey and brown

1958 Various plants

  10 F green and red
  25 F red and green
  30 F green, blue and orange
  40 F black, yellow and green
  65 F blue, yellow and green

1958 Map and person

  20 F red, lilac, grey and blue

1959 Declaration of human rights

  20 F brown and blue

No more stamps were issued for French West Africa after 1959.

Postage Due Stamps

1947 Value in ellipse, inscription 'CHIFFRE TAXE AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANCAISE'

  10 c red
  30 c orange
  50 c olive
  1 F red
  2 F green
  3 F lilac
  4 F blue
  5 F ?
  10 F ?
  ?

1958 Masque

  1 F brown
  3 F green
  5 F red
  10 F blue
  20 F red
  25 F violet
  30 F green
  45 F black

Slightly different design
  50 F red
  65 F blue
  100 F olive
  200 F green

Airmail

1945 Plane above waves, inscription 'FRANCE LIBRE RF AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANCAISE', design identical to many other French colonies

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  5.50 F blue
  50 F green
  100 F red

1946 Angel over Arc de Triomphe with tanks, design identical to many other French Colonies, inscription 'AF. OCCLE. FRANCAISE'

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  8 F violet

1946 Battle fields, 'DU TCHAD AU RHIN', various designs, identical to many other French Colonies, inscription 'POSTE AERIENNE'

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here.

  5 F lilac
  10 F blue
  15 F violet
  20 F green
  25 F grey
  50 F brown

1947 Map of Africa and portrait of man, inscription 'COURRIER SUD 1928 POSTE AERIENNE'

  8 F red

1947 Various designs

  50 F violet (aeroplane above Dakar, Senegal)
  100 F blue (flying birds)
  200 F green (people in desert and sketch of aeroplane)

1949 75 anniversary of UPU, inscription 'POSTE AERIENNE', design identical to many other French Colonies

For an image of a similar stamp of another colony, click here

  25 F blue, green, brown and red

1951 Canal de Vribi and Port d'Abidjan

  500 F orange, blue and green

1954 Liberation commemoration

  15 F black and blue

1954 Various designs

  50 F brown and green (timber)
  100 F brown, green and blue (telecommunications)
  200 F brown and green (Baobab trees)

Fiscal Stamps

Inscription 'TIMBRE FISCAL', fiscal stamp of 1947, 24 Fr. on 30 F blue and red.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer