Collecting Belgian Congo stamps is a way to touch on the philatelic histories of Africa and Belgium. Colonial Africa yielded thousands of great stamps from a dizzying array of states, colonies, mergers, and regions. Belgian Congo stamps are especially popular with collectors and there are many designs, of differing values and rarities, available for keen-eyed online buyers.
The Belgian Congo grew out of the Congo Free State in 1908. Many stamps were issued in Belgian Congo until 1960, when the area became the Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville). (Note that this was philatelically different than the Republic of the Congo, i.e. Congo-Brazzaville.)
Inscriptions on Belgian Congo Stamps
The first Belgian Congo stamps of 1908 were inscribed with both the French and Dutch names of the colony:
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- Congo Belge (French)
- Belgisch Congo (Dutch)
If you collect all stamps with French, or with Dutch, then Belgian Congo stamps will be right up your alley. Even more interesting to many is the quirky design choice on later stamps that combined the two named graphically:
- Belgisch CONGO Belge
Semipostals and Postage Due Stamps of Belgian Congo
Semipostal stamps were issued in the Belgian Congo beginning in 1918. These excellent items can round out a collection of Belgian Congo stamps, as can the various postage due stamps that were issued beginning in 1923. In addition to these specialty stamps, other Belgian Congo postal collectibles like full sheets and uncut stamps are popular with buyers, as are covers with canceled stamps sent from the area.
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The End of Belgian Congo and Its Stamps
When Belgian Congo became the “Republic of the Congo” in 1960 it was the end of the line for Belgian Congo stamps. Of a finite and expired time of Central African history, Belgian Congo stamps remain a vital part of colonial African stamp collectors’ pursuits. How you approach your own collection of Belgian Congo items is up to you; there are many different ways to go about it.
Belgian Congo today is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (a.k.a Congo-Kinshasa).
