Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

FRENCH COLONIES, Overview

Return To Catalogue - French colonies, general 1859-1877 issues - French colonies, general 1881 issue - French colonies, Tablet issue (1893) - French colonies, postage due stamps - French colonies, forgeries - France overview

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.

General issues for the French colonies, (click here for more details of the 1859-1877 issues or French colonies, general 1881 issue); examples:

(Stamps issued for all French colonies)

80 c red 'CCH' (Cochin China) cancel
(Stamps for the French colonies, similar to French stamps, but imperforate)

French colonies, general 1881 issue

Besides the general issues for the French colonies (1859 to about 1890), the following French Colonies issued seperate stamps:

AFARS & ISSAS (previously Somali Coast) issued stamps in 1967, falls outside the scope of this catalogue.

AFRIQUE ÉQUATORIALE FRANÇAISE (French Equatorial Africa)

AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE FRANÇAISE (French West Africa)

ALAOUITES (click here)

ALEXANDRIE (or Alexandria, Egypt)

ALGERIE (or Algeria)

ANJOUAN (click here)

ANNAM ET TONKIN (Annam and Tonkin)

BENIN (click here)

CAMEROUN (or Cameroons)

CANTON (Click here)

CASTELLORIZO (French occupation)

CAVALLE (Click here)

CHINE (French Post in China)

CILICIE (Click here)

COCHINCHINE (or Cochin-China)

COMORES (or Comore Islands)

CONGO (or French Congo)

COTE D'IVOIRE (or Ivory Coast)

COTE FRANCAISE DES SOMALIS (or French Somali Coast)

DAHOMEY (Click here)

DIEGO SUAREZ (Click here)

FEZZAN (issued its first stamps in 1946? Falls outside the scope of this catalogue)

GABON (Click here)

GHADAMES (issued its first stamps in 1949? Falls outside the scope of this catalogue)

GRANDE COMORE (or Great Comoro)

GRAND LIBAN (Lebanon, issued stamps from 1924 onwards. Falls outside the scope of this catalogue)

GUADELOUPE (Click here)

GUINEE (or French Guinea)

GUYANE (or French Guyana)

HAUT SENEGAL ET NIGER (or Upper Senegal - Niger)

HAUTE VOLTA (or Upper Volta)

HOI-HAO (Click here)

INDE (or French India)

INDOCHINE (or French Indo China)

ININI (Click here)

KOUANG-TCHEOU (WAN) (Click here)

LAOS (formerly part of French Indo China)

LEVANT (French Levant)

MADAGASCAR (Click here)

MALI (formerly French Sudan)

MAROC (French Morocco, local issues are listed in Cd 2)

MARTINIQUE (Click here)

MAURITANIE (or Mauritania)

MAYOTTE (Click here)

MOHELI (Click here)

MONG-TZEU (French Indo China)

NIGER (Click here)

NOSSI-BE (Click here)

NOUVELLE CALEDONIE (or New Caledonia)

NOUVELLES HEBRIDES (or New Hebrides)

OBOCK (Click here)

OCEANIE (or French Oceanic Settlements)

OUBANGUI (or Ubangi-Chari-Tchad)

PAKHOI (French Indo China)

POLYNESIE (previously Tahiti and French Oceanic Settlements)

PORT-LAGOS (Click here)

PORT-SAID (Click here)

REUNION (Click here)

SAINTE MARIE DE MADAGASCAR (St Marie de Madagascar)

SAINT PIERRE ET MIQUELON (St Pierre and Miquelon)

SENEGAL (Click here)

SENEGAMBIE ET NIGER (or Senegambia and Niger)

SOUDAN (or French Sudan)

SYRIE (or Syria)

TAHITI (Click here)

TCHAD (Ubangi-Chari-Tchad)

TCHONG-KING (French Indo China)

TOGO (Click here)

TUNISIE (or Tunesia)

VIETNAM (formerly par of French Indo China)

WALLIS ET FUTUNA (or Wallis and Futuna)

YUNNANFOU, YUNNANSEN (French Indo China)

ZANZIBAR (French Post offices in Zanzibar)

TABLET ISSUE

Many stamps of the French Colonies were made in the following so called 'Tablet design' or 'Navigation and Commerce', click here for more information:

World War II Issues

In 1943 and 1944 some stamps to be used in all French colonies were issued. I haven't seen them in used condition.

1943 Inscription 'RF AIDE AUX RESISTANTS COMITE FRANCAISE DE LA LIBERATION NATIONAL FRANCE COMBATTANTE', man with gun and flag

  1.50 + 98.50 blue and grey

1943 Inscription 'FRANCE D'OUTRE-MER COMITE FRANCAIS DE LA LIBERATION NATIONALE', two woman and map of France

  9.00 + 41.00 F lilac

1943 Inscription 'REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE COMITE FRANCAISE DE LA LIBERATION NATIONALE AIDE AUX COMBATTANTS ET PATRIOTIQUES', people standing in front of map of France

  0.50 F + 4.50 F green
  1.50 F + 8.50 F lilac
  3 F + 12 F blue
  5 F + 15 F brown

1943 Inscription 'POSTES RF OEUVRES DE SOLIDARITE FRANCAISE', woman with two children

  10 F + 40 F blue

1944 Inscription 'RF SOLIDARITE FRANCAISE ENTR'AIDE DE L'AVIATION', woman and child with bird wing in background

  10 F + 40 F grey

Omnibus issues for the French colonies

1931 International Colonial Exhibition, four values (identical for all colonies), 'EXPOSITION COLONIALE INTERNATIONALE PARIS 1931'

Reduced sizes

These stamps were issued for Cameroons, Dahomey, French Guinea, French Guyana, French India, French Indochina, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French Sudan, Gabon, Guadeloupe, Ivory Coast, Martinique, Mauritania, New Caledonia, Niger, Reunion, Senegal, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Tchad, Togo, Ubangi-Chari, Upper Volta, Wallis and Futuna.

1937 'EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE PARIS 1937', different design for each value

Reduced sizes

Six values were issued. Also an imperforate minisheet with inscription above and below the stamp: 'EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE ARTS ET TECHNIQUES 1937'. These stamps were issued for Cameroons, Dahomey, French Equatorial Africa, French Guinea, French Guyana, French India, French Indochina, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French Sudan, Guadeloupe, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Martinique, Mauritania, New Caledonia and dependencies, Niger, Reunion, Senegal, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Togo.

1938 Pierre and Marie Curie, design identical to many other French Colonies

This stamp was issued for Cameroons, Dahomey, French Equatorial Africa, French Guinea, French Guyana, French India, French Indochina, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French Soudan, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, New Caledonia and dependancies, Niger, Reunion, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Togo.

1939 'CENTENAIRE DE RENE CAILLIE 1799-1938, similar stamps were issued for other French Colonies

Three stamps were issued for the following colonies: Dahomey, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo.

1939 'EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE NEW YORK 1939'

Two stamps were issued for the following colonies (one stamp in red, the other in blue): Cameroons, Dahomey, French Equatorial Africa, French Guyana, French Guinea, French India, French Indochina, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French Soudan, Guadeloupe, Inini, Ivory Coast, Kouang-Tcheou, Madagascar, Martinique, Mauritania, New Caledonia, Niger, Reunion, Senegal, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Togo, Wallis and Futuna.

1939 French revolution commemoration, Bastille; six values, all in the same design

Issued for Cameroons, Dahomey, French Guinea, French Guyana, French India, French Indochina, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somali Coast, French Sudan, Guadeloupe, Inini, Kouang-Tcheou, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Reunion, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna.

1941 Soldiers,'Defence de l'empire', three values with different designs were issued for each colony

The different colonies issued different designs for two of the three values issued.

This design was used for all the French Colonies listed below

In the above or similar designs the following colonies issued these stamps: Cameroons, Dahomey, French Equatorial Africa, French Guinea, French Guyana, French Soudan, Guadeloupe, Inini, Ivory Coast, Kouang-Tcheou, Mauritania, Martinique, New Caledonia, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Wallis and Futuna. The designs are different for all colonies, except for one value, which is identical for all colonies (see image above). The issue for Reunion was prepared, but not issued.

1944 Symbol of France (Marianne) with 'RF' and cross

This stamp was issued for the following colonies: Cameroons, Djibouti, French Equatorial Africa, French Guyana, French India, French Oceanic Settlements (Oceanie), French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Francaise), Guadeloupe, Madagascar, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna.

1945 Felix Eboue 1884 1944 'Premier resistant de l'empire'

Two stamps were issued for each of the following colonies: Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, French Guyana, French India, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French West Africa, Madagascar, Martinique, New Caledonia and depenancies, Reunion and St.Pierre and Miquelon. Félix Adolphe Éboué was a leader of the Free French movement.

1950 Inscription 'OEUVRES SOCIALES F.O.M', doctor checking a baby

One stamp was issued for each of the following colonies: Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, French India, French Somalicoast, French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Francaise), French Oceanic Settlements, Madagascar and dependencies, New Caledonia, St.Pierre and Miquelon and Togo.

1952 100 years of military medal

One stamp was issued for the following colonies: Cameroons, Comores, French Equatorial Africa, French Oceanic Settlements, French settlements in India, French Somalicoast, French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française), Madagascar, New Caledonia and depenancies, St.Pierre and Miquelon, French Somali Coast, Togo, Wallis & Futuna.

Other Omnibus issues for the French colonies; Airmail

1940 Inscription 'AFRIQUE OCCIDLE FRANCAISE POSTE AERIENNE'

Six values were issued in the above design for Dahomey, French Guinea, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Niger, French Sudan and Togo.

1942 Two designs, 'aeroplane taking off' and aeroplane above desert

Five values were issued in the first design (50 c, 1 F, 2 F, 3 F and 5 F) and three in the second design (10 F, 20 F and 50 F) for the following colonies: for Dahomey, French Guinea, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal, Sudan and Togo.

1942 Airmail issue, aeroplane above waves, inscription 'POSTE AERIENNE'

This design was issued for Cameroons, Djibouti, French Equatorial Africa, French Guyana, French India, French Oceanic Settlements, French West Africa, Guadeloupe, Madagascar, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, St.Pierre and Miquelon.

1946 Angel over Arc de Triomphe with tanks, inscription 'POSTE AERIENNE'

This design was issued for Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, French Guyana, French India, French Indochina, French Somalicoast, French West Africa, Guadeloupe, Madagascar, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion.

1946 Battle fields, 'DU TCHAD AU RHIN', various designs for the different values, showing the successive battles of General Leclerc, inscription 'POSTE AERIENNE'

Six values were issued (depicting battles in Tchad, Koufra, Mareth, Normandie, Paris and Strasbourg) for the following colonies: Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, French Guyana, French India, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French West Africa, Guadeloupe, Indochina, Madagascar, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, St.Pierre and Miquelon, .

1949 75 anniversary of UPU, inscription '75e ANNIVERSAIRE DE L'UNION POSTALE UNIVERSELLE POSTE AERIENNE'

One stamp was issued for each of the following colonies: Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, French India, French Indochina, French Oceanic Settlements, French Somalicoast, French West Africa, Madagascar, New Caledonia, St.Pierre and Miquelon, Togo, Wallis and Futuna. The stamp shows people from Africa, Asia and Oceania with a globe and an aeroplane in the center.