10/24/2021
Tripolitania (today a part of Libya) is an area located next to the Mediterranean sea. It was controlled by Italy after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912. During the period of Italian control, stamps used in Tripolitania were Italian definitive stamps with overprints ("Tripoli di Barberia" until 1923, when the "Tripolitania" overprint was first used). The first stamps, overprinted "Tripolitania" on the Italian "Propogation of Faith" series, are pictured below. In 1926, Tripolitania began issuing its own stamps (as part of the colonial issues of Italy), which is pictured below, in addition to using the overprinted Italian definitives.
Another Italian colony, Cyrenacia, also issued these definitives on this day, and they are considered to be the first stamps of the colony. Five days after the stamps were released, another set was issued, once again using Italian definitives.
The watermark on all of the stamps of Tripolitania is the same as on the definitive issues of Italy.
Used stamps are worth around twice as much as unused ones, with fake cancels often being found.The Italian Government Printing Works made all of the stamps used in Tripolitania. Although Tripolitania continued to issue its own postage stamps until 1938. It became a part of Libya in 1939, along with other Italian colonies of Cyrenacia and Fezzan, with the supervision of the Italian governor-general.
Taisia Osipova
Taisia Osipova is a Digital Marketing Specialist at the American Philatelic Society. Taisia assists with:
View More by Taisia Osipova
This Day in History - First Stamps of Buenos Aires, Guatemala, Oman, and US Aerogramme
Article of Distinction: The Charles Osgood, M.D., Collection
This Day in History- First Stamps of Ionian Islands and More
Article of Distinction: The Dumas Family on Stamps of Haiti
This Day in History - World's Second Stamp, French Colony Stamps, and More
Article of Distinction: UPS and the Pandemic - A History
Conversations With Philatelists Ep. 85 Revisiting Philatelic NFTs
Conversations with Philatelists : Ep. 86: Suzanne Rae & Isobel Klempka live at the London 2022 Stamp Show
Conversations With Philatelists Ep. 88: Jay Bigalke: Editor in Chief of Scott Catalogue on the New Catalogue Subscription Model
Conversations with Philatelists : Ep. 87 Stamp Active Live from London 2022
Conversations with Philatelists : Ep. 84 Authentication and the Future
Ukraine History Highlight
This Day in History - First Croatian and Laos Airmail Stamps
This Day in History - Earth Day Stamps
Twelfth Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposium - Call For Papers
Air Mail: Trials, Tribulations and Good Fortune of the (Aero) Postal History Student
C3a Stamp Basics Highlight - Part 2
U.S. Postal Service Reveals Even More Stamps for 2022
Chippewa Artist Honored with Stamps
Scott English, Executive Director
Susanna Mills, Editor in Chief