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Hello everybody around the world. When I was a young boy here in Nova Scotia, Canada I loved collecting old stamps and coins.

I'm 40 now and mostly collect covers with the contents included. My favorite is a love letter dated 1757 Phildelphia.

I recently bought a passport that belonged to an American used in 1971 while he served in the Peace Corp.

One of the pages has a 500 French Franc postage style stamp over written with Sengal and is cancelled by the Embassy of Senegal In Guinea.

I'm trying to find a value and history of this interesting piece of history

After independence in 1958 Guinea severed ties with France and turned to the Soviet Union. The first president, Ahmed Sekou Toure, pursued a revolutionary socialist agenda and crushed political opposition. Tens of thousands of people disappeared, or were tortured and executed, during his 26-year regime.

Hi, Charles,

That's a "Fiscal" or Tax stamp, not postage-related at all.

It would have been used to denote the fee of 500Fr paid for the visa to allow the beaarer to visit Senegal/Guinea for the period stated.

Nonetheless, people do collect them, and complete as used ought to be better than loose - though I really have no idea about these.

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Ian Billings - Norvic Philatelics GB stamps info: http://www.norphil.co.uk - also /catalog for our ecommerce site, blog.norphil.co.uk, shop.norphil.co.uk and Ian_norvic on twitter

Thanks very much to the members that posted a reply! So this stamp was never used postally in France or Senegal? They didn't actually print "tax" on this stamp to distinguish it from postal stamps? Interesting note of history is that the owner of this passport was present when the Portuguese attacked the city of Conakry and later when people started to disapear and later murdered. He must of been shaking in his Peace Corps boots asking himself "what the heck am I doing here?"

There may be something, other than the value, under that big blue blob!

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Ian Billings - Norvic Philatelics GB stamps info: http://www.norphil.co.uk - also /catalog for our ecommerce site, blog.norphil.co.uk, shop.norphil.co.uk and Ian_norvic on twitter

Not sure what you mean Norvic. Could you clarify? Thanks, Charlie

Charlie: The handstamp covering the revenue stamp has a large tree (I think) partly obscuring the 500fr, and Norvic was saying there may be other writing on the stamp it's covering up. In fact, it may be my eyes playing tricks on me or just part of a design, but I think I can make out a tone-on-tone H or R peeking through between two branches of the tree. There are revenue stamp experts on the boards, and hopefully one of them will come across this thread and be able to tell us what a mint version of this stamp would have looked like.

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David

I would also like to know why the Republic of Senegal would be using French stamps in 1971 when they have had there own since 1960. I'm a total novice so I'd appreciate any info on this

Charles,

At the top right of the stamp, under the thick blue cancel, you can just make out the letters "T - - BRE" in white (the T is just above and to the right of the L of SENEGAL). That is part of the word "TIMBRE", French for "Stamp".

Below that you can just make out "- - S C - - " which is part of the word "FISCAL" (you may be able to see it more clearly with the aid of a magnifying glass)

As to why old French stamps were still being used, probably just using up existing stocks to save the cost of producing new ones - a serious concern for a poor, young country

It says Timbre Fiscal under the Blue tree. Fiscal or tax stamp.

Thanks. This site is awesome. I'm just a stamp rube lol. Charlie

So does the stamp have any value or is it a historical value with the passport? Thanks

I'm so happy my eyes weren't failing me - though it was a B rather than an H or R. But in the blown-up version TIMBRE FISCAL does positively jump out, so well done for posting an larger scan. As far as why an overprinted stamp was being used, I second the earlier supposition that old stamps were being used up as a cost-savings measure. As to value, I imagine someone will come alone with a philatelic value before long, but keep in mind that Peace Corps memorabilia and diplomatic ephemera are very prized by some collectors of those areas, so it's value may be even more substantial than whatever simple philatelic value it may have. This is something we often forget when a stamp shows up on another object, sometimes the stamp may be one of the least valuable parts of the object.

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David

Thanks guys you are so helpful

Hi
I don't know if there exists a catalogue with values for these stamps...
If want to know if the item you have is scarce or common, maybe you should try to get in touch with the French Society of Fiscal Philately: http://www.sfpf-asso.fr/

Regards
Ernesto

For a collector of them, being in a full passport would interest them for sure!

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