World of Stamps — Article Archives

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The Postage Stamps of the Far Eastern Republic

from September 6, 1941, Stamps Magazine by Seymour Gibrick

The short-lived Far Eastern Republic of Siberia was one of the little known Russian States that emerged from the wreck of the old Russian Empire, having been created in the searing flames of the Russian Revolution.

After Admiral Kolchak’s Siberian White Army was decisively beaten and routed by Lenin’s and Trotsky’s Red Army, all of Siberia up to the city of Irkutsk was occupied by Soviet troops. The only remaining organized anti-Bolshevik Russian forces in Siberia were those of Ataman Semenoff in Chita and the smaller White force of General Diedrichs.

Semenoff occupied Chita by grace of the Japanese Army of Occupation in Eastern Siberia, which were extending supplies and protection to him. However, after Kolchak’s downfall the Japanese, seeing that a clash was inevitable between the advancing Red Army and Semenoff’s troops, and having little desire to clash outrightly with Moscow, made the best of a bad situation, and agreed to a compromise whereby Moscow was to sanction the creation of . . .

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Island Communities: French Polynesia, Part I

from July 10, 2009, Mekeel's & Stamps Magazine by Geir Sør-Reime

French Polynesia is an overseas country within the French Republic since 2004. The territory has an area of 1,622 square miles (scattered over 965,255 square miles of ocean) and a population of 260,000. (See condensed map, above, and Figure 1, page 20.)

The islands were settled by Polynesians from AD300 till AD800. Europeans first came to the islands in 1521 (Magellan, Tuatumo Archipelago), 1722 (Roggeveen, Bora Bora), 1767 (Wallis, Tahiti). The first missionaries were Spanish (from 1769); Protestants arrived in 1797.

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Island Communities: French Polynesia, Part 2

from July 17, 2009, Mekeel's & Stamps Magazine by Geir Sør-Reime

(Continued from July 10, 2009) In November 1892, stamps inscribed ‘ETABLISSEMENTS DE L’OCEANIE’ (Oceanic Settlements) had been issued (Figure 32, page 20), and these were also on sale on Tahiti from 1893 (Figure 33). In 1992, the centenary of Oceanic Settlements (FOS) stamps was celebrated with a single French Polynesia stamp (Figure 34). A pictorial set with three different designs was issued in 1913. Color changes and various surcharges appeared on these stamps (Figures 35-37).

A new pictorial series appeared in 1934, inscribed ”E.TS FRANC. S DE L’OCEANIE” (French Oceanic Settlements) (Figure 38).

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