Angola was issued so-called Ceres series stamps in the early part of the twentieth century by Portugal. This was something which the European power did for many of its colonies at the time. In addition to collectible Angola Ceres stamps, Portugal issued Ceres stamps in its own country as well.
Angola Ceres stamps were simple in design. They depicted Ceres, the Roman goddess of planting and of cereals. Each stamp had blank spots where the denomination and colony name could be overprinted. Collectors looking for Ceres stamps from Angola specifically are in luck because it usually isn’t too hard to find some good examples for sale at any given time. Keeping an eye on online sales marketplaces is key.
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Who Collects Angola Ceres Stamps
Philatelists who are interested in Portuguese stamps will also usually have at least one or two Angola Ceres stamps in their albums. One very fun approach is to get a Ceres stamp from every colony that for which Portugal printed them. Another, more difficult method is to collect one stamp from every African colony of the 1800s-1900s. This will take you all over the continent, will introduce you to colony names you may never have even heard of, and of course can include Portuguese Angola Ceres stamps.
Yet another idea is to get one Angola Ceres stamp for each denomination that was used. This could take some patience, but you might get lucky and find a complete set (or mostly complete) for sale at one low price.
See also: Senegal rare stamps for philatelists and other buyers
Often, a group of mixed Angola Ceres stamps will be sold as one low-priced lot. You may or may not want or need every stamp in the lot, but it can be a great idea to purchase it anyway. You can keep a few of the pieces for your own collection and use the rest as trade bait for other collectors.
