Moldova is now a stamp-issuing republic between Ukraine and Romania in Eastern Europe, a member of the Central Independent States that each declared independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Although the history of Moldova stamps is very short (its first postage stamp was issued in 1991), there are several interesting collectibles available. First of all, there are many interesting pre-1991 postal covers — envelopes, postcards, et cetera — sent within and from Moldova when it was the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, and used Soviet stamps.
In addition to the many interesting stamps issued by Moldova for regular postal use, there are various souvenir sheets (including a 2001 sheet honoring ten years of Moldovan stamps), maximum cards, first day covers, and even joint issues. The earliest Moldovan postage stamps were inscribed REPUBLICA MOLDOVA, but are virtually always inscribed MOLDOVA now.
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Transnistria
See also our stamps of Transnistria section for postal items from that area, whose independence is contested but who issues its own stamps.
“Moldavia”
The country of Moldova is often confused with the nearby region of Romania called Moldavia. Both Moldova and Romania have their roots in the centuries-old Principality of Moldavia, which no longer exists as a political entity (but which did issue its own stamps briefly in the mid-1800s). Watch sales listings carefully to make sure you’re getting what you think you are — and be careful with sales listings in non-English languages! In French, for example, “Moldova” is Moldavie, whereas “Moldavia” is the Région de Moldavie.
