Aden is a seaport in Yemen, and used to be both a British Protectorate and a state that issued its own stamps. Aden stamps are collected by Middle East enthusiasts, those who like British colonial stamps, and Yemen stamp buyers, among others.
During the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century, stamps in Aden were British India stamps, canceled with a ‘124’ postmark which was Aden’s assigned postal code. In 1937, postage stamps were first issued especially for Aden; these stamps, under Britain’s King George VI, also used the Indian currency units of rupees, annas, and pies at first.
In 1951, Aden stamps began using shillings and cents, and in 1952 Queen Elizabeth II began her reign. Popular Aden stamps include those depicting the dhow, a traditional sailboat that came to represent the important seaside town.
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When locals objected to using stamps featuring King George VI, new stamps were issued for two different areas of the eastern part of the Aden Protectorate: the Kathiri State of Seiyun and Quaiti (or Qu’aiti), officially the Quaiti State of Shihr and Mukalla. (The latter is also known as the Quaiti State in Hadhremaut.)
In 1965, Aden became part of South Arabia, and later still became part of modern Yemen.
