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first issues > countries > upper volta, burkina faso

Upper Volta

December 1920

- Burkina Faso

French Colony 38

UV1
  #1 xxx

Description   Scott SG Mi Y&T  
Stamps of Upper Senegal and Niger overprinted in black or red
1 centime violet and grey-purple   1 1      
other values 2c to 5 francs   2-28 2-26      

Scott [1] runs the issues from 1920 until 1928 in one listing ordered by denomination. Gibbons [2] lists the 1920-21 issues first and then 1922-28. Thus, the catalogue numbers match for only the first 4 stamps.

The summary in Scott [1] is admirably concise,

“In 1919 the French territory of Upper Volta was detached from the southern section of Upper Senegal and Niger and made a separate colony. In 1933 the colony was divided among its neighbors: French Sudan, Ivory Coast, and Niger Territory. The Republic of Upper Volta was proclaimed December 11, 1958; the name was changed to Burkina Faso on August 4, 1984.”

Gibbons [2] adds that the stamps of French West Africa were used from 1947 until 1959.

Africa 18
Africa 50

UV67
BF668A
BurFas668B
Republic of Upper Volta
Burkina Faso
1959 Sc70 SG67 1984 Sc668A SG742 1984 Sc668B SG743

Gibbons lists a set of four butterflies (SG738-741) for Burkina Faso before Scott's Sc688A-B.

Sources: ScS [1], SGP12 [2].

Image from David Olson, colnect, ebay.

FI ref: 517, 737 Page credit: NB

Page created 26 Aug 2016 Page updated 11-Jul-2017