Postage Stamps of Italian Colonies

by Tony Clayton

Italian East Africa

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In June 1936 the Italian colonies of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Italian Somalia were combined into the colony of Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana or A.O.I.).

Definitive Issue, 7th February 1938

This is a very extensive set with 20 postage values, 11 airmail values, 2 air express values. 2 express values were issued later.

Postage Issues

Six basic designs were used, with values up to 50c in photogravure and the higher values in recess.

1.25 Lire blue Same design used for 7½c, 20c, and 50c Sassone 13.	3.70 Lire violet Same design used for 20c and 30c Sassone 17.
5 Lire blue Same design used for 15c and 75c Sassone 18.	10 Lire red Same design used for 5c, 35c, and 2 Lire Sassone 19.
2.55 Lire sepia Same design used for 25c and 1 Lire Sassone 16.	20 Lire blue-green Same design used for 10c and 1.75 Lire Sassone 20.

Airmail Issues

Four basic designs were used, with values up to 1 lire in photogravure and the higher values in recess.

2 Lire slate-blue Same design used for 60c Sassone A7.

10 Lire purple Same design used for 50c and 1.50 Lire Sassone A10.

25 Lire dark blue Same design used for 25c, 75c, and 3 Lire Sassone A11.

5 Lire red-brown Same design used for 1 Lire Sassone A9.

Air Express: 2 Lire slate-blue Same design used for 2.50 Lire Sassone A12.

Express Issues, 16th April 1938

1.25 Lire dark green Sassone E1.

2.50 Lire scarlet Sassone E2.

Augustus Issue, 25th April 1938

This set was issued to celebrate the 2000th Anniversary of the Birth of the Emperor Augustus. 60,000 complete sets were issued.

Postage: 75c red Same design used for 5c and 25c Sassone 25.

Postage: 1.25 Lire blue Same design used for 10c and 50c Sassone 26.

Airmail: 10+2.50 Lire orange Same design used for 50c Sassone A15.

Naples Exhibition, 11th May 1940.

This set was issued just before the Italian Forces surrendered on the 20th May, so no use was made of the top two airmail values. 50,000 of the top values were issued.

Postage: 1.25 Lire blue Same design used for 25c Sassone 32.

Postage: 2+0.75 Lire carmine Same design used for 10c and 75c. Sassone 33.

Airmail: 2+0.75 lire grey-blue Same design used for 50c. Sassone A18.

Postage: 50c violet Same design used for 5c Sassone 30.

Airmail: 5+2.50 lire brown Same design used for 1l. Sassone A19.

Italian-German Axis, 20th May 1941

This set never reached the A.O.I., but was available at the Philatelic Bureau in Rome.
There were 7 postage values and 1 airmail, the latter having a design change.
Four postage values are known with the central value block, but these are very rare.

Airmail: 1 lire slate-blue Scarce design with central value issued 24th April 1941. Sassone A20.

Airmail: 1 lire slate-blue Revised design. Sassone A21.

1942 Recapito Autorizzato

Unissued.

10c dark green Sassone 1.

Postage Due

1939-40 Set

13 values. Genuinely used copies are almost unknown.

30c orange Sassone D5.

20 lire carmine Sassone D13.

1942 Set

11 values, all unissued

30c brown-lilac and red Sassone D17.

1.50 lire grey-black and blue Sassone D21.

Military Allowance Stamps

Two types were printed locally by the Special Printing Company of the General Government of the A.O.I. in Addis Ababa.
They were not issued because of the wartime events, and almost all of the printing was incinerated.
A green version was intended for destinations within the A.O.I., with a red version for elsewhere in the Italian area.

Red version for outgoing letters from the A.O.I. Sassone 2.

Unissued Occupation Stamps

After the surrender of Italian forces in the A.O.I., the Commander of the South African troops arranged the overprinting of captured stocks of stamps. When they were about to be issued the British Military Adminstration decided that British stamps overprinted M.E.F. were to be used instead. Some escaped incineration. Several values are very scarce.

3 Lire olive. Sassone 12.

4 Lire orange. Sassone 13.

8 Lire on 10 Lire carmine. Sassone 16.

10 Lire carmine. Sassone 17.

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