| Abkhazia Stamps |  Top |
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Never Hinged  US$ |
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246335 "View REPRESENTATIVE Image"){kind=small} |
Bogus: Abkhazia ca.1995 Groucho Marx and John Lennon perforated souvenir sheet. VF |
4.50 |
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| Abkhazia, located in the Caucuses, between Europe and Asia, is recognized as a country by only a few countries; most countries regard Abkhazia as part of Georgia. However, even as part of Georgia, it is relatively or almost completely autonomous from Georgian control, but with a high degree of Russian control. There seems to be either constant conflict in the region or a constant state of near-war. As of 2020, postal services in Abkhazia were provided by Russia. Though the Scott Catalogue does not list any stamps issued for Abkhazia, it is believed that the entity has issued at least some legitimate stamps. Between 1993 and 2013, as described in this article, a postal service operated within the country and stamps were issued. The stamps of the 1993-2013 era were only valid for postage within Abkhazian territory and were not accepted by other countries for international mail. For this reason, as a matter of editorial policy and scope of catalog, the Scott Catalogue does not list them. However, as also described in that article -- and seen by many American collectors -- around 1995, an American opportunist created bogus "stamps" (sometimes incorrectly described as "fakes" -- but they are not fakes of anything; in philatelic terms, they are completely "bogus" issues, having no official relation to the country name printed on the items). The bogus "stamps" are in the philatelic category of "Cinderellas"; and even though at least some of the 1993-2013 stamps were apparently valid for mail within the territory, they also considered fully or partially "Cinderellas" in the category of "locals". |
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