History of Algeria Post and Stamps

The starting date for the history of mail in modern Algeria is unclear, but letters sent by Europeans to the city of Algeria date back to 1690 . Oran was controlled by Spain for much of the eighteenth century, and local postal stamps have been known since 1749 ^[4] .

Regular postal service in Algeria begins with the establishment of French rule in 1830. Initially, the French military postal organization fr. "Tresor et Postes" (" Treasury and Post"), which was established in Algeria in the same 1830. In 1835, this service became available to the civilian population, but continued to use military rubber stamps until 1839, after which calendar stamps with the city name ^{[≡] [ ≡ ] [4]} became common .

Gradually, post offices ceased to be treasury offices and in 1860 became autonomous. Following the spread of French colonial influence inland, the postal service in the second half of the 20th century significantly expanded into the internal regions. Moreover, if in 1845 there were 18 post offices in Algeria, then by 1860 there were 97, and by 1880 - already 295 ^[4] .

Mail services were initially provided through couriers and a coastal shipping service organized by the French Navy . In 1866, the latter was transferred to the disposal of the largest French shipping company Messageries Maritimes . Since 1862, the railway network began to gradually cover the country, and the two main railway lines Algeria - Oran and Constantine - Philipville were opened in 1870 and 1871, respectively ^[4] .

From January 1, 1849 ^[4] and until 1924, Algerian mail used postage stamps of France ^{[1] [2] [≡] [ ≡ ] [ ≡ ]} . The first postal stamps used to cancel correspondence from January 16, 1849 to December 31, 1851, contained a simple lattice, similar to the that time ^[4] .

However, after 1852, the postal office switched to number stamps in the form of a rhombus from the points surrounding the number (3710–4448), which was typed in and identified the post office. Since 1863, postmarks with numbers 5000-5171, dialed in ^[≡] , began to be used . Most of these numbers have been individually assigned to Algeria's post offices ^[4] .

• Early mail from Algeria to France (19th century)
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  1848: A letter of the home-made period, sent to and having round calendar stamps ^{[^]}

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  1871: a letter sent to Paris . The French mark of 1870, from the , with a face value of 20 centimes ^{[^]} , is canceled by a number stamp ( 5005 ) ^{[^]} ; the envelope also has a round calendar stamp ^{[^]}

Since April 1876, calendar stamps finally stamped on postal correspondence ^[4] . On October 1, 1907, French Algeria joined the UPU ^[3] .

• French postcards with photographs of Algeria (early 20th century)
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  1900s: Photograph by . France stamp with Algeria postmark ^{[^]}

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  1908: Madrasah in Algeria. Postcard franked with a brand name of France, such as ^[5] and redeemed with a calendar stamp of the city ​​of Algeria ^{[^]}

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  1916: , which at that time housed the General Directorate of country

In the interval between July 22, 1958 and June 27, 1962, only stamps of France were again used by Algerian mail. After independence, on July 5, 1962 ^{[1] [4]} , Algeria established and began to develop its own postal service. In 1969, 862 post offices were subordinate to the Algerian postal administration ^[4] . Modern postal services in the country are provided by the state-owned company Algérie Poste , which reports to the Minister of Post and Information and Communication Technologies of Algeria ( Ministère de la Poste et des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication ) ^[3] .

French Algeria

First Marks

The first own stamps in French Algeria were put into circulation on May 8, 1924, when Algérie (Algeria) ^{[1] [2] [4] [≡] [ ≡ ] was} overprinted on French postage stamps .

Subsequent Issues

Over the next couple of years, a total of about 32 types of stamped postage stamps appeared . They were replaced in 1926 by the first original postage stamps directly bearing the inscription “Algérie” (“Algeria”) ^[2] . This standard series consisted of prefabricated stamps depicting four local species and ultimately totaled 35 types, with face values ranging from 1 centime to 20 francs .

• Examples of standard stamps with the inscription "Algérie" (" Algeria "), issued in 1926
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  1 Centime ( Yt # 34)

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  2 centimes ( Mi # 36; Yt # 35)

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  15 centimes ( Mi # 40; Yt # 39)

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  45 centimes ( Mi # 47; Yt # 46)

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  75 centimes ( Yt # 49)

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  80 centimes ( Mi # 51; Yt # 50)

• Examples of standard stamps with the inscription "Algérie" (" Algeria "), published in 1927-1930
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  1927: 65 centimes ( Mi # 80; Yt # 80)

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  1927: 1 franc 10 centimes
  ( Yt # 82)

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  1930: 50 centimes ( Sc # 50) . Leaflet of a vintage booklet with advertising coupons

The first commemorative stamp was issued in 1930 ^[1] . It had a face value of 10 francs and a drawing depicting the , and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of French colonial control of the country.

The new standard series in 1936 again depicted local landscapes, using eight engraved drawings for 31 denominations ^[≡] .

• Examples of Algerian Postage Stamps 1940s - 1950s
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  1941: 70 centimes ( Yt # 70) ^{[^]}

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  1954: 50 francs . Nobel laureate physiologist S. Laveran

The coats of arms of Algerian cities were captured on the photolithographic series that came out in 1942, and it was released both with the name of the engraver on the lower left field and without it. In addition, the previous Algérie (Algeria) overprint, which was applied to French postage stamps until 1947, was revived during this period.

In 1947, a new series of 16 standard stamps was issued, also depicting the coats of arms of cities, and remained in circulation throughout the 1950s, along with a handful of commemorative stamps. In the period 1958-1962, Algeria stopped issuing its own brands and returned to the use of French ^[1] .

In total, from 1924 to 1963, 423 postage stamps and 16 blocks were issued by Algerian mail. The following French inscriptions are found on the original stamps of this period: “Postes” (“Post”), “RF” (“ French Republic ”) and “Algérie” (“Algeria”) ^[2] .

Independence

Independent Algeria began implementing its own program for issuing postage stamps on July 2, 1962 by printing on the site the overprints of the abbreviation “EA” (from the French “État d'Alger” - “Algerian State”) on available stocks of French postage stamps ^[1] . These overprints exist in a wide variety of colors and fonts. They remained in circulation until October 31 and were replaced the next day with a series of five stamps of original drawings ^{[1] [4]} depicting local species, with the inscription “République algérienne” (“Algerian Republic”) in French and Arabic . This issue was an example of the first appearance of Arabic inscriptions on Algerian postage stamps.

• Series dedicated to Roman mosaics with allegories of the seasons (1977; denominations indicated in dinars and centimes )
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  1.20. Winter

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  1.40. Autumn

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  2.00. Summer

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  3.00. Spring

Algeria's standard series, released since independence, also include a series depicting a profession that was released in 1964, a 1967 series dedicated to Abd al-Qadir , and several issues featuring native species published since 1982.

In 1970, the centenary of the birth of V. I. Lenin was marked with a commemorative stamp ^[1] .

The first postal blocks of the Algerian People's Democratic Republic were published in 1975 ^[1] .

Paid

Since 1926 in Algeria they began to issue surcharge stamps ^[1] . Until 1963, 63 brands were issued. The following captions may appear on them: “Taxe à percevoir” (“Amount to be paid extra”), “Recouvrements valeurs impayées” (“Refund of unpaid value”) and “Timbre-taxe” (“Extra charge mark”) ^[2] .

Postal Charities

The beginning of circulation in Algeria of postage-charitable stamps dates back to 1927 ^[1] .

Airmail

Airmail stamps began to be used in this country since 1947 ^[1] .

Batch

In Algeria, package (parcel) stamps were also in circulation, of which 204 types were printed by 1963 ^[2] .

During the struggle for the liberation of France during World War II, the French Committee for National Liberation (FSCN) issued postage stamps ^[1] with the image of and the Gallic rooster ^[≡] , the drawings of which were similar to those of French postage stamps.

Issued in Algeria in 1943, the FKNO brands were intended for use in the French colonies that supported Free France . After the in 1943 and in southern France in 1944, the FKNO marks began to be used in the reconquered French territories, and since November 1944 - throughout France. A total of 27 denominations of similar brands were issued ^[1] .

During the North African campaign and after it, special postage signs were used for the needs of the Anglo-American forces in Algeria. So, in 1943, two telegraphic stamps were issued, for which Algerian stamps were overprinted with the abbreviation for the text “Messages of the expeditionary forces” and a new face value (30 francs). These brands were in circulation in 1943-1944 ^[1] .

In 1924, French whole things were published, including labeled envelopes , parcels , secret cards and postal cards , which were marked with an Algérie overprint. They were followed in 1927 by original whole things made especially for Algeria. The issue of labeled envelopes, parcels and secretos ceased in the early 1940s ^{[6] [7]} .

When Algeria became an independent republic in 1962, the only whole thing issued was one post card. Subsequently, in 1976, Algeria published aerograms ^{[6] [7]} .

• Algeria // Philately of the USSR . - 1990. - No. 9. - P. 61—62.
• Levikov O., Torgashin V. Vintage territories of the world (Africa, Algeria, Angola) // Philately . - 2008. - No. 4. - P. 25—32. - (Topic: Philatelic Geography).
• Rossiter S. , Fowler J. The Stamp Atlas: A Unique Assembly of Geography, Social and Political History, and Postal Information. - 1st edn. - L. , Sydney: Macdonald, 1986. - 336 p. - ISBN 0-356-10862-7 . (eng.)
• Scott 2007. Standard Postage Stamp Catalog. - New York, NY, USA: Scott, 2006. (English)

• Algeria. Encyclopaedia of Postal History . Stampsite: The Encyclopaedia of Postal Authorities . J. Leach. - Information about the stamps of Algeria in the database "Encyclopedia of the history of mail. Encyclopedia of Post Offices. " Date of treatment September 19, 2011. Archived September 23, 2008.
• Accueil: Ancienne colonie: Algérie (Fr.) . Encyclopédie du timbre en ligne . WikiTimbres. Date of treatment February 21, 2016. Archived February 21, 2016.
• Paper Heritage - Algerian Railways - Control Overprints . Paper Heritage. - Algerian Railways - Control overprints. Date of treatment September 19, 2011. Archived June 26, 2012.