Comoro Islands

Comoro Islands stamps

P=have O=don’t have it

The Union of the Comoros (until 2002 the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros) is a country in the Indian Ocean, situated at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique. The country consists principally of three volcanic islands: Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan, while the nearby island of Mayotte is claimed by Comoros but become an overseas department of France in 2011. The country's territory also encompasses many smaller islands. Its name was adopted from the word al-Khamar, meaning 'island of small moon' as seen depicted on its flag.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoro)

Scott: #C4O

(Thanks to Lou for the scan)

Issued: 6.6.1954

10th Anniversary, Liberation of France

Inside #C4: France #718P

Scott: #60P

Issued: 31.3.1964

Philatelic Publicity

Inside #60: France #1054P

E803AD3A

Scott: #215P, #216O, #217-20P

(Thanks to Jan Van Lin for the scans)

Issued: 25.11.1976

25th Anniversary, UNPA

[Food and Agriculture Organization, type O1] Inside #215: UN #24P

[World Health Organization, type Y] Inside #216: UN #43P

#162 Inside #217: UN #162P

#42 Inside #218: UN #42P

#32 Inside #219: UN #32P

Inside #220: UN #18P

Scott: #282-4O

Thanks to Lloyd Gilbert for the scans

Issued: 22.11.1977

#219 Overprinted in Gold / Silver / Red

#283a

#393 #394 #395

#396 #397 #398

Scott: #393-5P, #396O, #397-8P

Issued: 16.12.1978

Death Centenary of Sir Rowland Hill

Inside #393: Saxony #1P (Germany)

Inside #394: Netherlands #1P

Inside #395: G.B. #2O

Inside #396: US #2O

Inside #397: France #33P

Inside #398: Switzerland-Basel #3L1O

#399

Scott: #399O

Inside #399: British Guiana #13O

Scott: #???O

Michel # Block 198 (A perf and B imperf)O

Unlisted but noted in Scott, stamp as #399

In background in changed color:


G.B. #3	Geneva (1843)	Tuscany #23	France #1

Saxony #1P (Germany)			wurttemburg #10O

U.S. #1O			G.B. #1

Netherlands #1P	U.S. #2O	France #33	Austria #P4

Thanks to Lou Guadagno

Scott: #400O

Inside #400: Moheli #1O

Mohéli, also known as Mwali, is one of the three islands which make up the nation of Comoros. Until 1830 Mohéli was part of the Ndzuwenie Sultanate which also controlled Anjouan, a neighbouring island. In 1830 migrants from Madagascar led by Ramanetaka, who later changed his name to Abderemane, took over the island and established the sultanate of Mwali. In 1886 France made the island a protectorate. Until 1889 Mwali had its own French resident, but the island was then subjugated to the residency of Anjouan. The sultanate was crushed in 1909 when the French annexed the island. French colonial stamps inscribed Mohéli were issued from 1906 to 1912.

In 1975, Mohéli agreed to join the Comoros nation, along with Grande Comore and Anjouan. Political, economic and social turmoil affected Mohéli and the Comoros in general. On 11 August 1997, Mohéli seceded from the Comoros, just a week after Anjouan had done so. Mohéli's secessionist leaders were Said Mohamed Soefu who became President, and Soidri Ahmed, who became Prime Minister. Mohéli quietly rejoined Comoros in 1998. In 2002, Mohéli ratified the new Comorian constitution, which provided for a less centralized federal government and more power to the island governments. It helped settle continuing political turmoil on Comoros and continuing secessionism on Anjouan.

Inside #400: Mayotte #1P

Mayotte is an overseas collectivity of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but has been politically separate since the 1970s. The territory is also known as Mahoré, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of Comoros. A referendum on becoming an overseas department of France in 2011 was held on 29 March 2009. The outcome was a 95.5 per cent vote in favour of changing the island's status from a French "overseas community" to become France's 101st département

Inside #400: Anjouan #1O

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anjouan

Inside #400: Grand Comoro #1P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Comore

Inside #400 (In margin): G.B. #1 [T-H]

Visit: The Penny Black Plate project http://www.arcieriminerva.it/SOS/homeSOS.htm

Scott: #401O

Inside #401: Mauritius #3O

The ID use to be Mauritius #1 but Lou wrote that the stamp is inscribed “POST PAID” not “POST OFFICE” — so is should be Mauritius # 3 not # 1

Michel: Block 192-197(A perf and B imperf)

(Not listed in Scott)


N.S.W. #26	Virgin Is. #5	Colombia-Cundinamarca State #1O	U.S. #15L18 Blood's penny post 1855	Prussia #14

		Bavaria #7


France #3	Sardinia #N1 Newspaper stamp	Spain #37O	G.B. #48

Thurn Taxis #52O	Spain #37O	U.S. #143O	U.S. #60L1 Dupoy Schenck local 1846	Italy #24P

Lou wrote: I did the IDs on these sheets back in 1979, without the benefit of the internet, working just with a magnifier and the Scott, Minkus and Michel catalogs. What I liked about these sheets is that the designer did not use the unusual countries and stamps you see on most of the Hill commemoratives, and I found these to be an interesting challenge then, just as searching for the stamp scans was recently.

The stamps in the background are not in size proportion and what can be seen of some of the reproduced stamps varies from sheet to sheet based on the size and position of the illustrations. The sneaky one, and an ID I am quite proud of making, is the Sardinia N1 newspaper stamp— only a sliver of the base of the stamp can be found directly below the white border of the Hill stamps.

Thanks to Lou Guadagno