A collection of Ghana stamps is a peek into British colonial history.
From 1874 to 1957, Ghana was part of the British colony called Gold Coast. During this time, stamps were issued for the colony, and the longevity of the situation makes Ghana one of the least complicated areas of Africa for which to collect stamps. (This British Gold Coast is not to be confused with the much larger swath of western Africa which included several “Gold Coasts”, colonized by different European powers.)
In 1957, Ghana became independent, and was in fact pieced together from Ghana and British Togoland (the western half of modern Ghana). In 1958, Ghana joined Guinea in a union called the United States of Western Africa; the name of this union was changed the following year to the Union of Independent Africa States, and Mali was added to the union in 1960.
Ivory Coast rare stamps (Côte d’Ivoire) for philatelists
Also in 1960, Ghana declared itself a republic, renaming itself officially the Republic of Ghana. In 1962 the Union of Independent African States had outlasted its usefulness and dissolved, with each of the three countries striking off on their own.
As you can see, the only real period of political upheaval for Ghana in the modern world was in the late 1950s and early 60s; otherwise, Ghanaian history and stamp issues have been fairly stable. Whether you collect stamps from the British colonial era or from the modern Republic of Ghana, leave a comment on this page and let everyone know how you approach your collection!
