Postage stamps and postal history of Togo
Encyclopedia
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history
of Togo
.
Togo is a country in West Africa
bordered by Ghana
to the west, Benin
to the east and Burkina Faso
to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea
, on which the capital Lomé
is located. Togo covers an area of approximately 57000 square kilometres (22,007.8 sq mi) with a population of approximately 6.7 million.
" from 1 March 1888 and at "Lome
" from 1 March 1890. They may be recognised by the cancellations used. Beginning in June 1897, mainland German stamps with a "Togo" overprint were made available. In November 1900, the key type stamp
s known as the Yacht issue
were introduced. Water-marked
versions of "Yachts" became standard in 1909, and they remained in use until the First World War.
were used and French stamps of Dahomey
, overprinted TOGO, were in use from 1916. The country was divided into two zones during the occupation with the east bordering Dahomey, a French territory, being run by the French and the west, bordering the British Gold Coast, being run by the British.
confirmed the division of the territory into two with the west of Togo being ceded to Gold Coast for ethnic reasons, making Togo the tall, thin, country it is today, and enlarging the current Ghana. Postal arrangements followed accordingly.
In the Second World War, Togo declared for the Vichy Government in France. In 1955 it was made an autonomous republic within the French community.
on 21 March 1962. Togo was one of the first clients of the Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation
.
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...
of Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
.
Togo is a country in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
bordered by Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
to the west, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
to the east and Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
, on which the capital Lomé
Lomé
Lomé, with an estimated population of 737,751, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels...
is located. Togo covers an area of approximately 57000 square kilometres (22,007.8 sq mi) with a population of approximately 6.7 million.
Pre-stamp era
The first posts in Togo were established by German traders in the 1880s who operated from the coastal towns and used German West African mail boats. Mail entered the German postal system at Hamburg. There were 17 German post offices before the 1914 invasion.German stamps
The first stamps used in Togo were unoverprinted stamps of Germany used at "Klein-PopoAneho
Aného is a town in southeastern Togo. It is situated 45 km east of the capital Lomé, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Togo in Maritime Region. Historically it was known under the name Little Popo and it had a Portuguese slave market. It later became the first German capital of Togo in the...
" from 1 March 1888 and at "Lome
Lomé
Lomé, with an estimated population of 737,751, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels...
" from 1 March 1890. They may be recognised by the cancellations used. Beginning in June 1897, mainland German stamps with a "Togo" overprint were made available. In November 1900, the key type stamp
Key type stamp
Key type stamps are stamps of a uniform design that were widely used by colonial territories in the 19th and 20th centuries.- Origins :The idea was invented by Perkins Bacon who used it to print stamps for Trinidad , Barbados and Mauritius , all featuring the same Britannia design.- Key plate...
s known as the Yacht issue
Yacht issue
The Yacht issue was a series of postage stamps, bearing the image of the German Kaiser's yacht, SMY Hohenzollern II, that were used in all of Germany's overseas colonies. Millions of the stamps were produced and they were the principal means of postage for all German imperial overseas possessions...
were introduced. Water-marked
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
versions of "Yachts" became standard in 1909, and they remained in use until the First World War.
Allied occupation
In August 1914, Togo was invaded by British and French troops who occupied the country until 1919. The German post office was closed and the occupying forces used German stamps at first, with "Anglo-French Occupation" overprints. From 1915, overprinted British stamps of the Gold CoastGold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
were used and French stamps of Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
, overprinted TOGO, were in use from 1916. The country was divided into two zones during the occupation with the east bordering Dahomey, a French territory, being run by the French and the west, bordering the British Gold Coast, being run by the British.
After 1918
In 1922 The League of NationsLeague of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
confirmed the division of the territory into two with the west of Togo being ceded to Gold Coast for ethnic reasons, making Togo the tall, thin, country it is today, and enlarging the current Ghana. Postal arrangements followed accordingly.
In the Second World War, Togo declared for the Vichy Government in France. In 1955 it was made an autonomous republic within the French community.
Independence
Togo became independent on 27 April 1960 and joined the Universal Postal UnionUniversal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
on 21 March 1962. Togo was one of the first clients of the Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation
Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation
The Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation, or IGPC, is a philatelic agency that represents over 70 different countries in the design, production and marketing of postage stamps. It also assists postal administrations with the running of their postal services...
.
Further reading
- Cameo journal of the West Africa Study Circle.
- Dalwick, R.E.R. Togo and its occupation stamps. London: Stamp Collecting, 1915.
- Duggan, Peter. Togo: Overprints on stamps of the Gold Coast 1915-1920. Reading, Berkshire: West African Study Circle, 2005. ISBN 0953747468
- Gibbs, Robert M. G.R.I. : the postage stamps of the German colonies occupied by the British, 1914-1918. London: Robson Lowe Christies, 1988. ISBN 0853974284