Its land area totals less than 12,000 square miles with a population of just over three million. The country mostly consists of mountainous terrain – nevertheless, it is densely populated at over 250 per square mile. The per-capita GDP is around $5,000. Armenia is considered the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion on 301 AD as the Kingdom of Armenia. As a Christian dominated country controlled by the Ottoman Empire, Armenia has a bloody history that culminated with the Armenian genocide in 1915-16. After World War I, Russia started its control over Armenia with brief interruptions in the early years. Armenia became an independent country on August 23, 1991 as the first non-Baltic republic to secede.
The first stamps of Armenia were Russian stamps of 1902-12 (Scott #73) with two different types (black & violet) surcharge overprints issued in 1919. It is a coat of arms design with the Imperial Eagle and Post Horns. Both the Russian stamp and the overprints are fairly common with the former cataloging at just 20c and the Armenian overprints in the $1 range. Several other overprints on different varieties of the same design were used in the first two years.
The first original designs were prepared in 1920 and consisted of ten stamps in three designs. They were issued only for fiscal use – SPECIMEN overprints & imperf varieties also exist. They are valued at about $5. The period through 1923 saw issues in 25 different designs in a series of sets. The original issued sets are common while the surcharged overprints are much more valuable. Here again, collectors need to be careful as counterfeits exist. Also, some sets were not officially issued. The most valuable stamps during this period is a long-set of overprints on Scott #300 to #309 with handstamped surcharge of new values in Rose, Violet, or Black. The set (Scott #310 to #333) catalogs for around $1000 MNH or Used but collectors have to be very careful as forgeries exist.
1923 saw stamps of the Transcaucasian Federated Republics which consisted of the former autonomies of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia replacing Armenian issues. The designs were mostly Russian symbols and overprints on certain Armenian stamps. The first stamps issued in a set of 8 consisted of Russian stamps of 1909-17 overprinted and surcharged in Black or Red. The set catalogs for around $50 MNH and a little less for Used. The republic existed only till October of that year and Russian stamps were used from that point on till 1991.
The first stamp of Armenia after independence was issued on May 28, 1992 (Scott #430). I
t depicts Mount Ararat which has great geopolitical significance for Armenia and their irredentism – the mountain is located in Anatolia which is a Turkish province, but Armenians revere the mountain as symbolizing their national identity – it is also featured in their coat of arms. The stamp catalogs for about a dollar. A souvenir sheet depicting Eagle & Mount Ararat was issued soon after (Scott #431). This catalogs for around $50 either MNH or Used.Read More...
Last Updated: 07/2011.
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