The Stamps of Abhkazia

Abhkazia

Abhkazia is a self-proclaimed republic within the republic of Georgia located on the Black Sea. Assyrian sources recorded their presence in the foothills of the Caucasus more than 3000 years ago. Throughout history, the Abkhaz have had close ties with their Georgian neighbors. Georgian became the language of the Abkhaz elite, but it never replaced Abkhazian as the language of the people.

Date: 1995-present
Stamp issuing status: active
Reference: {UN WFB WIKI}

Capital City: Sukhumi
Currency
     100 kopeck = 1 Russian Ruble

Postal History Timeline:

• 1810 Russia made Abkhazia a protectorate
• 1864 Abhkazia formally annexed to the Russian empire
• Post office administered by Russia
• til 1918 Used Russian stamps
• 1918-1923 Used Russian stamps issued for Georgia
• 1923-1924 Used Russian stamps issued for Transcaucasian SSR
• 1924-1936 Used Russian stamps
• 1936 Stalin redraws the borders of the Soviet republics
• Abkhazia becomes an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) within the Georgian SSR
• 1992-92-21 Georgia officially broke with the Soviet Union
• 1992-07-23 Abkhazai declares their sovereignty
• 2008 Russia recognizes Abhkazia independence
• late 1992 bogus stamps and souvenir sheets from Abkhazia. All were privately produced, with no postal validity.
• Abhkazia operates modest domestic postal service
• 1993-06-25 Abkhazia issued its first postage stamps - four stamps in two designs.
• since 1995 many pictorial sets and souvenir sheets, offered as local issues. These are bogus, issued by private individuals for sale to collectors.
• Abkhazia continues to issue some stamps each year.
• Foreign mail is trucked to the Russian city of Solchi where it enters the international mail stream.
• One source says that Russian stamps are required on international mail, but international covers exist with Abkhaz stamps. It is uncertain which is correct.

3¢ Red on White - Scott U1

3¢ Red on White - Thorp 1 - UPSS 1

Seal - Horizontally Laid

3¢ Red on White - Thorp 1 - UPSS 1

Seal - Horizontally Laid

3¢ Red on Buff - Scott U2

3¢ Red on Buff - Thorp 3 - UPSS 3

Seal - Horizontally Laid