Postage stamps and postal history of Georgia

A 1919 stamp from Georgia

This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Georgia.

Georgia is in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km² and its population is 4.385 million.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire.^[1] After a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia was invaded by Bolshevik armies in 1921 and incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922. The independence of Georgia was restored in 1991.

First stamps

The first stamps of Georgia were issued on 26 May 1919. A further series was issued in 1921.^[2]

Soviet republic

In January and February 1922 a series of five stamps were issued for Georgia's membership of the Soviet Republic.^[2]

The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic

In March 1922 until September 1923 overprinted stamps of The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic were used and from 1 October 1923 general issues of the Transcaucasian Federation were used.^[2]

Soviet stamps

From 1924 until 1993 stamps of the Soviet Union were used in Georgia following the absorption of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic into the U.S.S.R.

Modern stamps of Georgia from 2005.

Independence again

Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Georgia became independent again in April 1991 and issued stamps in its own name from 31 July 1993.^[2] Unlike other ex-Soviet republics, Georgia did not overprint Soviet stamps to meet their postal needs after independence,^[3] although a number of overprints were carried out on Georgian stamps in 1994.^[2]

Abkhazia

Stamps have been produced purporting to be from the Republic of Abkhazia, an area in western Georgia that is not recognised as a sovereign state by all but few countries. Most stamps of Abkhazia are believed to be bogus, produced in foreign countries solely for sale to collectors, but more recently Abkhazia has produced stamps that may have legitimate use locally within the borders of the disputed area.^[4] They are not recognised by the UPU.^[5][6]

See also

• List of people on stamps of Abkhazia
• Postage stamps of Batum under British occupation

References

1. David M. Lang, A Modern History of Georgia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1962; p. 109.
2. Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Part 10 Russia. 6th edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2008, pp.426-441. ISBN 0-85259-652-9
3. http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/overprsoviet_20020812/refreshercourse.aspx Retrieved 2 April 2010.
4. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Dm2YyI56OlE/TFEYgKnRLLI/AAAAAAAADHo/nh2Uj93NQ0g/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg Possible evidence of legitimate local use.
5. http://social.moldova.org/news/abkhaz-stamps-no-longer-a-laughing-matter-177480-eng.html Retrieved 20 December 2010.
6. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7DE1538F93BA15757C0A963958260 Retrieved 20 December 2010.

External links

• Philately of the former Soviet Union.