One of the outcomes of this arrangement was that both countries issued their own postage stamps for the islands, although towards the end of the Condominium, there were joint issues with the initials EIIR (Elizabeth II Regina) for the UK, and RF (République Française) for France.
British issues
Stamp of Fiji overprinted 'New Hebrides Condominium', 1908.
The first British issues, in 1908 and 1910, were produced by overprinting stamps of Fiji with "NEW HEBRIDES / CONDOMINIUM". These were followed by a joint issue with the French authorities, inscribed "NEW HEBRIDES" over a design including the coats of arms of both France and Britain and denominated in British currency. These were in use for several years, but as the stocks ran out in 1920, the less-popular values had to be surcharged "1d." and "2d.". New stamps in different colours came in the following year, but further surcharges became necessary again, in 1924.[1]
1925 saw another joint issue of nine values similar to the 1911 stamps, but this time both pence and centime denominations appeared on the same stamp. The British version had the pence (or shilling) denomination on the right side, and was printed on the "multiple crown and script CA" watermarkpaper, while the French version had the centimes on the left, was inscribed "NOUVELLES HEBRIDES", and printed on paper watermarked "R F"; otherwise they appeared identical.
A British version of the 1949 U.P.U. issue of New Hebrides.
The dual denomination scheme broke down when the value of the French franc declined, and for the next stamp issue, in 1938, the two administrations had simplified matters by using the same currency of "gold francs". The twelve values of the 1938 issues all depicted the same "beach scene", including huts, palm trees, a canoe, and a volcano in the distance. The stamps were inscribed "NEW HEBRIDES" at the top and "CONDOMINIUM" at the bottom. A standard Commonwealth 75th anniversary of the UPU issue followed in 1949, and a definitive issue in 1953. 1956 saw a set of four values commemorating the 50th anniversary of the condominium, and another set of definitives in 1957. Subsequent issues were mostly the common issues of the Commonwealth, with New Hebrides-specific issues appearing from 1967 onwards.
A French version of the 1949 U.P.U. issue of New Hebrides.
French issues
The first issues of the French, also in 1908 and 1910, were overprints on the stamps of their colony New Caledonia, in 1908 reading just "NOUVELLES HEBRIDES" and in 1910 adding "CONDOMINIUM". The joint issue of 1911, inscribed "NOUVELLES HEBRIDES" with denominations in centimes, was at first printed on British paper, then in 1912 on French paper watermarked "R F". As with the British, surcharged provisionals became necessary in 1920.
French issues of 1925 and 1938 were analogous to their British counterparts, but in 1941, the 1938 stamps were overprinted "France Libre" to signify that the Free French Forces were in control instead of Vichy France.
Postwar issues were generally consistent with British versions, differing primarily in being inscribed in French.
Vanuatu
Modern stamps have been issued under the name Vanuatu since independence in 1980.[2]
Local stamps
1897 Australasian New Hebrides Company 2d stamp.
In 1897 a local inter-island postal service was started by the Australasian New Hebrides Company for which two local stamps were issued. The service failed and the remaining stock of stamps was later sold to stamp dealers.[3][4]
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail. Well-recognized varieties include commemorative overprints which are produced for their public appeal and command significant interest in the field of philately.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the German territory of the Saar. As a border region contested between France and Germany, the Saar has a somewhat complicated philatelic history.
Greece's first postal service was founded in 1828, at the time of Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire. This initial service continued mail delivery and, later, the issuing of postage stamps until 1970. It was then succeeded by the Hellenic Post S.A., which remains Greece's official postal provider. The first Greek stamps were issued in 1861; by then, the postal service had expanded to operate 97 branches.
The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1891 and 1907.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
The French post offices in Egypt were a system of post offices maintained by France in Egypt during the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. They were primarily intended to facilitate commercial and trading interests that needed to communicate between France and points east.
The Edward VIII postage stamps are a definitive stamp series issued in the United Kingdom during the 20 January – 11 December 1936 reign of King Edward VIII.
The history of the postage stamps and postal history of China is complicated by the gradual decay of Imperial China and the years of civil war and Japanese occupation in the 1930s and 1940s. In modern times, postal delivery is handled by China Post.
The franc was the currency of the Anglo-French Condominium of the Pacific island group of the New Hebrides. It circulated alongside British and later Australian currency. The New Hebrides franc was nominally divided into 100 Centimes, although the smallest denomination was the 1 franc. Between 1945 and 1969, it was part of the CFP franc.
In philately, the denomination is the "inscribed value of a stamp".
Each "article" in this category is a collection of entries about several stamp issuers, presented in alphabetical order. The entries are formulated on the micro model and so provide summary information about all known issuers.
The postal history of Malta began in the early modern period, when pre-adhesive mail was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century.
The Castle series or Castle High Value series are two definitive stamp series issued in the United Kingdom during Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The common aspects of the two series are the four chosen castles, one for each country of the United Kingdom.
This is a survey of postage stamps and postal history of the German colonies and part of the postage stamps and postal history of Germany, as well as those of the individual countries and territories concerned.
Belize started as the colony of British Honduras, formally established in the 17th century but disputed through the 18th century.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Fezzan and Ghadames, both now part of Libya.
Nyasaland, now known as Malawi, first issued revenue stamps as British Central Africa in 1891 and continued to do so until the late 1980s.
Hong Kong issued revenue stamps from 1867 to the 1990s, both when it was a British colony as well as when it was under Japanese occupation.
Malaysia first issued revenue stamps as the Straits Settlements in 1863, and continues to do so to this day. Over the years, a number of entities in modern Malaysia have issued revenue stamps.
The Melita issue is a series of dual-purpose postage and revenue stamps issued by the Crown Colony of Malta between 1922 and 1926, depicting the national personification Melita. They were commemorative stamps since they celebrated the islands' new status as a self-governing colony following a new constitution in 1921, but also a definitive issue intended for regular use over an extended period of time.
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