Postage stamps and postal history of Belgium
The first Belgian stamp, known as "Epaulettes", issued in 1849.
Belgium began using national postage stamps on July 8, 1849,[1] when two imperforate stamps, a 10c. brown and 20c. blue, collectively known as Epaulettes, were introduced. A few months later a 40c. red stamp with a new design was issued, for postage to foreign destinations. In 1850 two new stamps of 10c. and 20c. were issued.
Initially, all Belgian stamps were issued with the French name "Belgique" only, as the French was the original language of government. Under the government of Auguste Beernaert, however, stamps began to be issued with the Dutch language "België" too from 1889.[2]
Belgian stamps are rarely issued with German text ("Belgien") too, including overprinted German Germania stamps during World War I.
Gallery
20 centimes Epaulettes stamp of Leopold I, 1849
Bilingual 10 centimes stamp depicting Leopold II, 1905
German World War I occupation stamp for Belgium, 1914-18
Belgian occupation of German East Africa, 1916
See also
- Inverted Dendermonde
- Jean-Baptiste Moens
- List of people on stamps of Belgium
- List of birds on stamps of Belgian Congo
- Postage stamps and postal history of Ruanda-Urundi
References
- ↑ Rossiter, Stuart; Flower, John (1991). Stamp Atlas. London: Black Cat. ISBN 0-7481-0309-0. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
- ↑ Legrand, Alain (October 2008). "Belgique : Epaulettes et Médaillons, les premiers timbres". Philatélie Populaire. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
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