Katanga Postal Authority
Stamps, and Postal History
Katanga 1961 3 stamps OCB 79/81 Gendarmerie Automobile voitures Mnh
Red Cross and 1 st anniversary of the Independence , no’s 66-68
The stamps, issued to commemorate Katanga’s first anniversary of Independence, portray Moïse Tshombe and the Katanga national colors. The stamps were sold with a surtax of 5 francs, which was given to the Katanga Red Cross. The set was very popular in Elisabethville and sold out in a few hours.
Date of issue: 11 July 1961
Expiration dates see: Historical background
Design: Paper with silk thread
Printer: Hélio Courvoisier, s.a., La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland
Perforation: 12.5
Size: 45 x 26 mm
Sheet: 25 (5 x 5)Marginal inscriptions: in black letters on top and on the bottom margin “Impression Courvoisier S.A., La Chaux – De – Fonds (Suisse)”.
Circulation: 40,000 series According to a letter by Mr. Pierre Mwalela written during his tenure as Katanga “Directeur-Chef de Service des Postes” (Most catalogues list 30,000)
No 66. 6,50F + 5F
No 67. 8F + 5F
No 68. 10F + 5FThe series:
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The imperforated series is in size and coloring exact the same as above:
Remark: the white border around these stamps is much larger when cut from a side or corner of a sheet.
Katanga Art series, no’s 52-65
These stamps were issued by Katanga as a regular issue or definitive set. They picture three different pressed copper plaques showing the folklore of Katanga. These plaques were on display in the Elisabethville Museum.
Date of issue: 1 March 1961
Expiration dates see: Historical background
Design:
Paper with silk threads
Printer: Hélio Courvoisier, s.a., La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland
Perforation: 11.5
Size: 23.5 x 32.5 mm
Sheet: 100
Marginal inscriptions: “Impression Courvoisier S.A., La Chaux – De – Fonds (Suisse).
Circulation: see the series
No 52. 10c, light green, 500,000 stamps
No 53. 20c, violet, 500,000 stamps
No 54. 50c, blue, 1,000,000 stamps
No 55. 1,50F, olive green, 1,000,000 stamps
No 56. 2F, purple-brown, 500,000 stamps
No 57. 3,50F, dark blue, 2,000,000 stamps
No 58. 5F, green, 500,000 stamps
No 59. 6F, brown, 500,000 stamps
No 60. 6,50F, purple, 500,000 stamps
No 61. 8F, pink-brown, 2,000,000 stamps
No 62. 10F, granite, 500,000 stamps
No 63. 20F, dark green, 750,000 stamps
No 64. 50F, light brown, 250,000 stamps
No 65. 100F, turquoise, 250,000 stamps
First own stamp of Katanga, 1st March 1961
Arrêté N° 80/176 du 25 juin 1961
concernant la 4ème émission 1961 des valeurs postales de l'Etat du Katanga.
Sujet : locomotive qui atteignit Elisabethville le 18 juin 1912 ou queue de long courrier à réaction.
Procédé d’impression : Héliogravure
Gravure et impression : S. A. Hélio Courvoisier à La Chaux De Fonds (Suisse)
Dentelure : 11 3/4
Feuilles : 25 timbres
Papier avec fils de soie
Période de validité : 20 juillet 1961 au 13 janvier 1963.
Tirage : 40 000 séries
N° K7 5 Valeur : 3,50 F Couleur : jaune-orange et orange
N° K7 6 Valeur : 6,50 F Couleur : bleu
N° K7 7 Valeur : 8 F Couleur : jaune-orange et orange
N° K7 8 Valeur : 10 F Couleur : bleu
Série non dentelée
Cachet commémoratif
HISTORICAL INFORMATION ON THE STAMPS
11th July 1960
Eleven days after “Congo” became independent, the province of Katanga announces its secession.
12th September 1960
First edition of stamps Katanga (Belgian Congo stamps with overprint).
1st March 1961
First definitive ‘own’ edition of Katanga stamps (Katanga Art).
1st July 1961
The Belgian Congo stamps with overprint are demonetized (can no longer be used as postage). The “Independence” stamps of the Republic of Congo are still valid.
The Albertville stamps were put into use by the Congo Army around mid-December 1961. The Congo Army had recaptured Albertville and there were no proper stamps, so to bridge the time it would take to have the Congo stamps restocked by the main post office in Leopoldville, they locally printed Katanga stamps with the ‘CONGO’ overprint. It took the main post office around three months to restock the post offices in Albertville.
15th January 1963
The Kinshasa Government invalidates all Katangese stamps throughout the territory with exception of the area around Kolwezi where they continue in use.
End February 1963
Definite end of the Katanga stamps.
General remark on overprinting:
The overprinting is not always done in a consistent manner. At times it appears to have been done in haste or by people who did not care less (this to the joy of collectors of varieties).
The general idea was clear, overprint KATANGA to show its new identity and use the bar to cross out the Belgian Congo. Good examples of stamps on which they wanted to keep the image intact as much as possible are no’s 12 & 16, where the overprint is on top instead of on the bottom. A little less successful overprint is no 17.
The series 1-3, with the variety were the bar is missing is most probably a proof.
Interesting is that the stamps 21-22 are lacking this bar.
Katanga Stamps on Sale
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Commonwealth of Free States of Africa
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