Faröe Islands

January 1919

↓

Europe

41, 41a


	Sc1	Sc2

Description	Date	Scott#	SG#	Denmark
1919 handstamped surcharge
2 øre on 5 øre green	1919	1	†	Sc97
1940-41 Denmark surcharge, British Administration
20ø on 1ø blue	1941	2	2	Sc220
20ø on 5ø blue	1941	3	3	Sc224
20ø on 15ø black	1940	4	1	Sc192
50ø on 5ø blue	1940	5	4	Sc224
60ø on 6ø blue	1940	6	5	Sc224C

The Faroe Islands are described by Wikipedia as, “an island country consisting of an archipelago of small islands between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland.” It goes on to say that “[b]etween 1035 and 1814, the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway. The 1814 Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian regions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1948.”

1940-41 Sc2-6

Gibbons [1] notes that “Danish stamps were used … from 1870 and in 1919 bisected 4ø bisects and 2ø on 5ø surcharges were issued at Tórshavn during a shartage of 7ø stamps.” † Gibbons lists the SC1 surcharge as Denmark SG207.

The islands were administered by Britain during WW2 while Denmark was occupied by Germany and the 1940-41 surcharges were issued to cope with shortages. Scott orders the stamps by value, Gibbons by date and so Sc4, SG1 is the earlient of the WW2 surcharges.

1975 Sc7 SG6

Changes of Administration

The islands continued to use Danish stamps after WW2. The islands were granted self government in 1948 and in 1975 began to issue their own stamps.