ALBUM – International Zone of Tangier, British Offices Summary The International Zone of Tangier, located on the northwest coast of Morocco, was administered by a committee of foreign powers from 1924 – 1956. When Spain and France divided Morocco for colonization in 1912, Tangier remained a disputed area, primarily because of it’s strategic location at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. As a result, it was decided that Tangier would become an International Zone. The agreement was put on hold due to World War I, and wasn’t finalized until Dec 18, 1923 in the Tangier Protocol. With the excepti ..read more

Issue #7 Apr 11, 2018 Michael Adkins Welcome to Issue 7 of the DCStamps Investigator. If you are a regular reader, you might have noticed that it has been issued at a slower pace than anticipated. This is primarily because I am diligently working in the background to improve DCStamps.  It is a large task, as it involves updating and modernizing all of the more than 130 articles and 200 albums posted on the site. Plus, I am working on several new transition charts for areas such as Morocco/Western Sahara and some of the areas in the Balkans.  Please be patient, as it is a daunting t ..read more

Issue #6 Mar 14, 2018 Michael Adkins In the last issue of the DCStamps Investigator, we discussed overprints using initials. In this edition, we continue our exploration by looking at emblems and symbols. Symbols Overprinted on Dead Country Stamps National symbols and emblems are important for building or emphasizing a common identity. Therefore, it is no surprise that nations trying to change (or even create) its identity often used an image, rather than a name. In this edition, we will explore six “countries” which used emblems on their overprints for its postage stamps. For those of us wh ..read more

ALBUM – German Occupation of Luxembourg in WW2 Summary The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small country bordering Belgium, France and Germany. In May/June, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded western Europe, taking Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and much of France. Under occupation, the Nazis began a program of forced “germanization,” considering the Luxembourgers to be ethnic Germans. Eventually the people of Luxembourg were made German citizens on Jan 1, 1942 when the Duchy was fully annexed into Germany. The Occupation was harsh as the Jews were expelled or taken to concentration camps and y ..read more

Issue #5 Feb 23, 2018 Michael Adkins In this issue of the DCStamps Investigator, we continue our series on the world of overprints on stamps, especially as it relates to dead counties. Someone asked me why I used the term “Madness” in the title. From what I’ve covered so far, I can understand the discontinuity.… via DCStamps Investigator – Overprint Madness #2 — Dead Country Stamps and Banknotes The post DCStamps Investigator – Overprint Madness #2 — Dead Country Stamps and Banknotes appeared first on Dead Country Stamps and Banknotes ..read more

Issue #5 Feb 23, 2018 Michael Adkins In this issue of the DCStamps Investigator, we continue our series on the world of overprints on stamps, especially as it relates to dead counties. Someone asked me why I used the term “Madness” in the title. From what I’ve covered so far, I can understand the discontinuity. But as we delve deeper into the subject, we will discover that overprints become much more complicated. This is especially true to those newer to worldwide collecting. In the coming weeks we will be discussing subjects such as surcharges only, overprints on overprints, misleading over ..read more

ALBUM – German Occupation of Lorraine in WW2 Summary Lorraine (Lothringen) is an area in eastern France on the German border. The rich agricultural and industrial region changed hands between France and Germany several times over the last few centuries. In May/June, 1940, early in World War 2, Nazi Germany invaded western Europe, taking Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and much of France, including Lorraine. The Germans annexed Lorraine along with Alsace and occupied the region until the Allies liberated the region including it’s major city Metz on Dec 13, 1944. Fast Facts Region: Wester ..read more

Issue #4 Feb 13, 2018 Michael Adkins When I began collecting dead country stamps, I thought that I would only include “countries” that printed at least one non-overprinted, unique stamp. However, I changed my mind when I realized that a significant number of dead countries only issued overprinted stamps, especially those short lived ones. Overprints are defined as additional markings applied to the face of a stamp after it has been printed. These markings can either be applied by a printing press or hand-stamped. When the marking indicates a change in value or unit of currency, it is usually ..read more

Issue #3 Jan 27, 2018 Michael Adkins This week I continue the discussion about the definition of a “dead country.” In Issue #2 of the DCStamps Investigator, I provided my “very loose” definition of a country: “Any governmental, political, colonial, military or revolutionary entity which had control (or legitimately attempted to have control) over a region of land and it’s people.” This week we move to the second part of the definition – what makes it “dead.” What Makes a Country Dead? For a country to cease to exist, one must be able to identify two things. 1) what event or situation caused ..read more

ALBUM – German Occupation of Alsace in WW2 Summary Alsace (Elsaß) is an area in eastern France on the German border. The rich agricultural and industrial region changed hands between France and Germany several times over the last few centuries. In May/June, 1940, early in World War 2, Nazi Germany invaded western Europe, taking Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and much of France, including Alsace. The Germans annexed Alsace and occupied the region until the Allies liberated Strasbourg on Nov 23, 1944. Fast Facts Region: Western Europe Group: German Occupations Classification: Military Oc ..read more