Why a FAQ page?     Our site is getting bigger every day, we are very glad that it's a succesful site and most of all that it's indeed very helpful... but we don't have time to answer everybody the way we would. A FAQ page maybe will help us helping you.     In this page you will find both pictures of stamps which ARE in most stamp catalogues but which are not easily found either because of a lack of the country name or for other reasons.     And in this page we would like to answer questions like "I've found this old album crowded with old stamps, can you tell me their value?". The answer to these questions will in most cases be NO. It's not the purpose of this site, besides we just don't have time to do it. Stamp catalogues are made just for this purpose and it's great fun to try on your own to identify a stamp with the help of a catalogue.     We hope this page will be helpful... Casper & Stefano

FAQ #2		I collect ... which stamp catalogue should I look for? Can you name a few? There are many stamp catalogues, some classify stamps from all world, others are dedicated to single countries or specific areas, or even to a specific subject. Worldwide catalogues have several volumes... long gone are the days when a worldwide stamp catalogue consisted of a few hundred pages in a single volume. With more than 10000 new stamps issued yearly worldwide stamp catalogues are now updated every few years. The most important general worldwide stamp catalogues are: Catalogue Printed in Language Values in Scott USA English USD Stanley Gibbons UK English GBP Yvert et Tellier France French FF Michel Germany German DM And here's a list of catalogues dedicated to more specific areas Area Catalogue Printed in Language Values in Europe Unificato Italy Italian Euro Scandinavia AFA Denmark Danish DKR   Facit Special Sweden Swedish and English SEK Italy & Area Unificato Italy Italian Euro   Sassone Italy Italian ITL France & Area Yvert et Tellier France French FF   Ceres France French FF Germany & Area Michel Germany German DM British Commonwealth Stanley Gibbons UK English GBP Greece Vlastos ? ? ?

FAQ #3		Where can I buy stamp catalogues? If you are unable to purchase a stamp catalogue in one of your local stamp shop, your best option is probably to order one via the Internet. The following sites should be able to provide you with information on how to purchase them: www.michel.de/home/index.asp www.philatelicbooks.com www.amazon.com www.yvert-et-tellier.fr (in French)

FAQ #4		This stamp looks like a stamp from the Scandinavian countries, perhaps Norway. The inscription 'OFF. SAK' is a mistery... NORWAY - OFF. SAK stands for "Offentlig Sak" i.e. Public matters. These are official stamps.

FAQ #5		REPUBLIK MALUKU SELATAN: I have several stamps with this inscription. I can not find it in any of my stamp identifiers or in my albums... Republik Maluku Selatan (Republic of South Moluccas) declared independence from Indonesia in Spring 1950. These islands were to be part of a state called East Indonesia, member on an equal basis with Borneo and Repoeblik Indonesia (Java, Sumatra and Madura) of the United States of Indonesia. Indonesia was to get rid of dutch colonization and to become a federation of these 3 states. But as soon as it became clear that Mr. Soekarno, javanese leader of the Repoeblik Indonesia state, had in mind to establish a unitary government of ALL the former Dutch Indies, i.e. under javanese control, Moluccas then refused to join both East Indonesia and the United States of Indonesia (btw Indonesia was not formerly independent until August 1950). By December 1950 indonesian forces had occupied the islands. Malukan took arms against them and a few years of guerrilla followed. Eventually the Malukan government was forced to flee... a Malukan governement abroad is still active nowadays (though back in 1955 UN declared the question settled). Unfortunately I don't know if the stamps from Maluku were issued during their brief period of independence (which no one recognized) or if they were issued later by the malukan government abroad. Maybe both. Anyway this is the main reason why you don't find these issues in your stamp identifier... because these stamps were not issued by a country recognised by UPU (Universal Postal Union).

FAQ #6		Obviously a local post of the Ottoman Empire. But precisely where from? Stamp catalogues list this issue, along with two others, at the end of the section for Turkey, under the heading "Lianos Enterprise". This particular stamp was issued in 1865. It's a bit more valuable used than mint. A few years later another set was issued for Kustendje and Czernawoda. Nothing more is said about the Lianos Enterprise, but I think it was a Costantinople based private mail company. Kustendje and Czernwoda are now Constanta and Cernavosa in Romania today. It was part of Turkish (Ottoman) dominated Bulgaria. Ceded to Romania 1878. That stamp was for the Danube-Black Sea Railroad and the date of official use is about 1868.

FAQ #7		Are these real stamps? Where are they from? Stamps with the inscription 'AZ'AD HIND are listed in the Michel catalogue for Germany. They belong to a set of 10 stamps prepared in Germany in 1943 to be used in India by the Indian National Army (INA - later an Azad Hind Government was declared), which fought the British and eventually got rid of them in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The INA had planned to free India from British rule through the help of the Axis powers. The Army reached the eastern border of India (Imphal) passing through Burma and planned to move on to Delhi, "Chalo Delhi" (on to Delhi) was their motto. There were also provisional stamps issued and (used?) by the INA troops while attacking Imphal. The leader of INA was Subhas Chandra Bose, maybe a search on the Internet on this subject might be useful. Stamps are known perforated (value DM10 each) and unperforated (DM15 each). 7 values have an overvalue, whereas 3 have none, it seemed the overvalue was to sustain the Azad Hind Government in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All of these stamps were never used, though. Forgeries exist.