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Malagasy celebrated their role in regional affairs as well...

Left above is an issue for the "First Conference on Higher Education in Africa"
On the right is the issue for "First anniversary of the African and Malagasy Union"

They didn't forget their French connection though - the almost obligatory anti malaria issue had the same design as other past french colonies:

The stamp on the right was issued for "stamp day"and features the post office at Tamatave.

The largest regular stamp issue in 1962 was for the 1st Malagasy Philatelic Exhibition, featuring various tourist scenes. The issue comprised 4 regular stamps , an airmail stamp and Malagasy's first miniature sheet.





I have found the airmail stamp also as an imperf but don't known whether the others from the set were issued imperforate.

To wrap up the 1962 stamp issues from the Malagasy Republic, here is the postage due set issued that year:


Before heading back to Africa, next time I'll shows you the issues of the Seychelles, the island group just north of Madagascar.

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Peter

WOW!!

What a great idea that achieves multiple goals - learning about the countries that exist; current affairs and history; collecting the world; and making it really personal.

Was it a difficult decision to collect more than simplified level which I assume would greatly increase the numbers required?

Hmmm....1970....

I started out thinking that I would keep it simplified, but after a while started accumulating things like Postage Dues for some countries and things like imperfs. Eventually decided on the lot (except for errors - although I have a few). Actually adding things like postage dues don't add too many stamps as these sets tend to be in use for years and not too many will have been issued in the year you decide to collect.

Good luck with 1970

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Peter

The Seychelles are a group of islands north of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

In 1962 they issued the first 15 stamps of a definitive series that would eventually total 20 stamps issued up until 1969....



This highlights one of the traps in collecting a whole year - if you like being accurate, be careful using a simplified catalogue - Gibbons lists all 20 stamps as being issued in 1962.

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Peter

Might as well cover a few nearby island nations whilst I'm at it...

Off to the east of Madagascar are Mauritius and Reunion. Mauritius issued no stamps in 1962 but there were a few issued for Reunion.

In this period, selected stamps from France were surcharged in African Francs (CFA) for use in Reunion.

The French semi-postal issue in support of the Red Cross:



and a postage due was also issued:



Finally, these 1962 French issues to mark the launch of the Telstar satellite:


(actually these are ring ins - not issued for Reunion until 2 January 1963)

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Peter

Heading back toward Africa we have the Comoro Islands, lying at the northern end of the Mozambique strait. In 1962 there were 3 stamp issues:

First a lovely set featuring sea shells and coral:




Love to find the 500f stamp on cover, there can't have been many items needing such a high value

Then the obligatory anti-malaria issue - here in a pretty pink:



and finally the omnibus issue celebrating the launch of the Telstar satellite..



next time it is back to the African mainland......

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Peter

Time to take stock of the tour before continuing through Africa.

In the 1962 tour of the world we have covered the countries shaded in this map so far:
- Pages 1 & 2 of the thread are shaded in RED
- Pages 3& 4 are shaded in BLUE
- Pages 5 & 6 are shaded in GREEN



I started the tour covering fairly random countries before settling down to cover it all systematically. The plan is to complete Africa, move roughly west - east through Europe before moving through Asia and ending in Australia.

Those in grey either didn't issue stamps or haven't been covered yet - still a fair way to go....

Back in East Africa we have three countries which amalgamated their postal services in 1935 under the terms of the East African Customs and Postal Union. Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika (KUT) issued stamps under this arrangement until the three countries became independent in 1963, 1962 and 1961 respectively.

I showed the 1962 stamps of Uganda on page 1 of the tour and KUT (Kenya) issued no stamps in 1962.

Tanganyika became independent in 1961 and then a republic in December 1962. The country issued one set of stamps to celebrate the declaration of the republic:

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Peter

Burundi was once part of German East Africa. Belgium won a League of Nations mandate in 1923, and in due course Burundi, with Rwanda (see page 1 of the thread), was transferred to the status of a United Nations trust territory known as Ruanda-Urundi following World War II.

In 1962, Burundi gained independence and became a kingdom under Mwami Mwambutsa IV. For a small nation, they hit the ground running in a philatelic sense, issuing more than 50 stamps in their first 6 months of independence

The first stamps issued were stamps from Ruanda-Urundi overprinted "Royame du Burundi":




The animals series totalled 16 stamps with a further 6 major overprint varieties recognised by Scott:



L to R above - Regular overprint / Larget Opt and Bar / Error - "Royaume du Royaume"

Continuing with the Animals series:



Most of the overprinting was done in black but some in blue...



This series could be an interesting study for someone - here's an inverted overprint error:





L & R above - narrow "xx" and wide "XX" varieties

a few more to go... I'm sure you can pick the varieties by now

After this enthusiastic spate of overprinting, Burundi got around to marking its 1 July independence with a set of 11 stamps (also found imperforate), issued 27 September 1962:

On September 18, 1962, just over two months after declaring independence from Belgium, Burundi joined the United Nations. The last two issues for the year reflect their new place in the world. First an earlier issue from Ruanda-Urundi overprinted in memory of Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary of the United Nations who died in a plane crash in neighbouring Congo in 1961:



Note the inscription on the stamps is either in French or Flemmish.


Last but not least the almost obligatory (and certainly relevant to central Africa) issue to promote the WHO drive to eliminate malaria:



These are also found imperforate but I can't locate my set at the moment

Next time we move further west into the Congo....

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Peter

The Republic of Congo in Central Africa gained its independence from Belgium in mid 1960 and immediately ran into trouble with two provinces (Katanga and South Kasai) attempting to secede. Katanga issued its own stamps in 1962 (covered on page 1 of the thread) but its secession was ended in January 1963 with the assistance of the United Nations.

Republic of Congo was also known as Congo - Leopoldville (after its capital) to distinguish it from its smaller neighbour to the west, the People's Republic of Congo (sometimes known as Congo - Brazzaville).

Now that that's cleared up to the stamps:

First issue in January was a set and souvenir sheet to commemorate Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the UN who died in a plane crash in 1961 when trying to broker an end to Congo's civil war:





As you would expect the map of Congo on the stamps includes the breakaway provinces...

Congo's anti Malaria issue was more original than most:



Then on 30 June 1962 the Hammarskjold souvenir sheet was reissued, overprinted to mark the 2nd anniversary of independence:

Finally in October the Hammarskjold set was reissued, this time overprinted with a quote from the leader of the country, Cyrille Adoula:

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Peter

Congo's immediate neighbour to the west is the much smaller Congo

The Republic of Congo (later Peoples Republic of Congo from 1965) gained its independence from France in 1960. It was also known as Congo - Brazzaville.
In 1962 Congo issued 7 stamps - first a stamp depicting the market at Brazzaville and an anti malaria stamp:



Next a stamp showing the port at Pointe Noire:

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Peter

Sandwiched between Congo and the Gulf of Guinea is Gabon, a former French colony that achieved independence in 1960.

As with other former French colonies in Africa, Gabon issued several "common design" stamps in 1962.

the Abidjan Games issue and the Anti Malaria issue:



the Union of African and Malagasy states issue and the issue to mark the founding of Air Africa:

Links to France were also illustrated by an issue commemorating Captain Ntchorere, a Gabonese national who died for France fighting in World War II.



Gabriel Léon M'ba was the first Prime Minister (1959-1961) and President (1961-1967) of Gabon. A set of stamps issued in 1962 featured him:

It seems that as a newly independent nation in the early 1960's there was a checklist of things you had to achieve:

* Join the United Nations
* Join the UPU
* Show how modern and industrialised you are
* Host a Philatelic Exhibition

Gabon's first philatelic exhibition was held in the capital Libreville from September 2 - 9, 1962. A set of stamps and a souvenir sheet featuring the development of air transport was issued:

Finally, in 1962 Gabon issued one of the classic sets of triangular stamps - a set of postage dues featuring fruit.



Wouldn't be too many kids albums of the era that don't have that pineapple stamp

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Peter

Spanish Guinea was made up of two provinces - Rio Muni on the mainland and the island of Fernando Po in the Bight of Biafra. The map below (adapted from Wikipedia commons) might help with orientation.



In 1968 the two provinces united to form Equatorial Guinea.

In 1962 Rio Muni issued two sets of stamps in the signature style of former Spanish colonies of the day.

First a set to promote child welfare:



then a set for Stamp Day:

Fernando Po also issued a set for stamp Day:



and also one featuring ships to promote child welfare:




I have already shown the stamps of Sao Tome and Principe, so next time will cover the stamps of Cameroun.

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Peter

Cameroun achieved independence from the French in 1960 and in 1961 united with the previously British controlled Southern Cameroun to become the Federal Republic of Cameroun.

The first stamp issue of 1962 occurred on 1 January with a set to mark the reunification and establishment of the Federal Republic.



This set was also issued overprinted in sterling currency for use in southern Cameroun.

Cameroun also issued several "common design" stamps in 1962.

the Anti Malaria issue:


the Union of African:and Malagasy states issue:



and the issue to mark the founding of Air Africa:

Cameroun didn't just stick with common designs and themes though. There was a set highlighting Leprosy relief and the work of Lion international:



A stamp issued to promote literacy and popular education:



and a set to celebrate the first anniversary of reunification:

Finally in 1962 Cameroun issued a new long definitive series of 19 stamps, including four airmail high values:







Lovely stamps here

I covered Nigeria in earlier posts, so next I'll continue to tour west along the African coast to Dahomey (now Benin).

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Peter

The Republic of Dahomey, a small country immediately west of Nigeria, gained its independence from France in 1960.

It had five stamps issues in 1962. Firstly the same "common design" stamps as those released by Cameroun:

the Anti Malaria issue:



the Union of African:and Malagasy states issue:



and the issue to mark the founding of Air Africa:


A "home grown" issue to celebrate the first anniversary of the evacuation of Fort Ouida by the Portguese:



and an issue to highlight the work of the Red Cross in the country:

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Peter

Fantastic collection! I have started researching mine (1959) and have several countries to print out including their history so that I know which ones to put in that specific binder.

One question...I looked through your post over several days...did I miss Canada or have you still to do it?

Yes, I've covered Canada - it was in the last 3 posts of page 2 and the first of page 3.

Good luck with 1959; are you thinking of collecting just the stamps or the souvenir sheets as well?

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Peter

Sorry, I should have gone through the whole post again before I asked the question.

To answer your question I am not sure yet. I'd like to see what I have first. I thought at first to do the reseach on each country and sort of make pics (album pages) & history pages like here on the forum so I would recognize what I need to collect.

My stamp room is below...(mind you much tidier then....)





I am guessing stamps to begin with and later the rest.

Nice room

Now back to the tour...... we are heading west along the African coast.

A brief history of Togo (thanks to Wikipedia): In 1884 Germany declared a protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast and gradually extended its control inland. In 1905, this became the German colony of Togoland. After the German defeat during World War I in August 1914 at the hands of British troops (coming from the Gold Coast) and French troops (coming from Dahomey), Togoland became two League of Nations mandates, administered by the Britain and France. After World War II, these mandates became UN Trust Territories. The residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana in 1957, and French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French Union in 1959.

Independence came in 1960 under Sylvanus Olympio. He was assassinated in a military coup on 13 January 1963. In March 1962, about 10 months before his assassination, President Olympio visited the United States. A set of stamps and souvenir sheet were issued to mark the occasion.





As it was to eventuate, both Presidents were assassinated in 1963

Earlier in 1962 (Feb 24) Togo issued a set of stamps to celebrate the "astronauts of 1961":



Besides being printed in sheets of 50, these were also issued in sheetlets of 12 with 4 labels featuring the Astronauts in question:





Of course, even as these were being distributed for release, John Glenn made his orbit of the earth and so the lowest value was overprinted (and surcharged) to mark the occasion:

On April 27 1962 Togo issued a set and souvenir sheet to mark the 2nd anniversary of independence:





Togo completed its issues for the year with a set in support of the W.H.O. campaign to eradicate malaria. Unlike most previous French colonies it stuck with its own design:

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Peter

Previously known as the Gold Coast, Ghana (incorporating British Togoland) gained independence from the UK in 1957. It was the first of the sub Saharan countries to gain independence. In 1960 it became a republic with Kwame Mkrumah as president.

From a stamp issuing point of view, for the last 20 years Ghana has issued vast numbers of colourful thematics, often with no relationship to the country - an example would be the 2001 issue featuring "female recording artists of the 1960s" - tricky to find used on commercial mail I suspect.

In 1962 though the 8 issues were more focused on Ghana.

First an issue to mark the opening of Tema Harbour:



Next an issue to mark the 1st anniversary of the Casablanca Conference of African
Heads of State:

Africa Freedom Day was celebrated on April 15:



and from June 21 - 28 Ghana hosted the Accra Assembly of Africans for a "World Without the Bomb":



Ghana also issued a set to mark the 1st anniversary of the death of Patrice Lumumba, premier of Congo:

Ghana also issued stamps to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Republic:



to celebrate Founders Day (and the 53rd birthday of the President):



and finally a set and souvenir sheet in support of the W.H.O. campaign to eradicate malaria:

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Peter

This thread is so interesting and informative I am seriously considering changing my worldwide collection's order from.'By country' to 'by year'.

Glad you like the tour

Heading west we come to the Ivory Coast, yet another former French Colony that gained independence in 1960. Unlike several similar newly independent nations, Ivory Coast maintained a close relationship with France (probably because its President, Félix Houphouët-Boigny had been the first African to serve as a Minister in the French Government) and was highly successful economically in the 1960s. President Houphouët-Boigny remained in power until 1993.

In 1962, Ivory Coast issued the same "common design" stamps as those released by Cameroun and Dahomey:

the Anti Malaria issue:



the Union of African and Malagasy states issue:



and the issue to mark the founding of Air Africa:

A series featuring local plants and flowers that was first issued in 1961 was completed with two additional values being issued in 1962:



Ivory Coast hosted the 17th session of the Commission for Technical Cooperation in Africa south of the Sahara in the capital, Abidjan during February 1962 and issued a stamp for the occasion:



There was also an issue to mark the centenary of Ivory Coast Post:

Ivory Coast also issued an airmail stamp to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of its admission to the United Nations:



Two further high face value airmail stamps were issued featuring typical Ivorian scenes:



and finally a colourful set of Postage Due stamps was issued featuring masks and heads from the Bingerville school of art. These are also found imperforate:

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Peter

Heading due west again along the African coast before we start to turn north we find the unusual country of Liberia. Unusual in the way it was founded, as a colony of freed American slaves with the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization that believed ex-slaves would have greater freedom and equality in Africa.

In 1847, these colonists founded the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States and naming the capital city Monrovia after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonisation.

Unlike most of its immediate neighbours in 1962, Liberia was a stable, fairly prosperous country with as President (William Tubman) who had been in power since 1944 and would continue in power until his death in 1971. A stamp issue in 1962 marked his visit to the US in 1961:

Liberia was a founding member of both the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity.

As you would expect, in 1962 Liberia issued a set and souvenir sheet in memory of Dag Hammarskjold:





Liberia also issued stamps in support of the campaign to eradicate malaria:





I occasionally see the malaria stamps imperforate on eBay but they are not listed in any of my catalogues imperf - does anyone know their status?

In 1962 Liberia celebrated United Nations Day (Oct 24) as a public holiday, issuing stamps and a souvenir sheet (on Oct 22) to mark the occasion:





Finally Liberia issued a series of 9 stamps from 1962 to 1964 featuring Government buildings. Here are the stamps issued in 1962:

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Peter

I covered the stamps of Sierra Leone in page 2 of this thread, so next as we start to head north along the coast of Africa we come to the Republic of Guinea.

Guinea gained independence from France in 1958. It issued some 79 stamps and a miniature sheet in 1962...

First up a set to mark the anniversary of the death of Patrice Lumumba:



Next, two stamps issued to mark the first anniversary of the Casablanca conference of African heads of state:



These were also overprinted and surcharged to raise money to help Algerian refugees.

To promote the W.H.O. campaign to eradicate malaria, Guinea released 2 issues. Firstly the 1960 national health semi-postal issue was overprinted in red or orange:



Then a new issue on the same subject: