Tasmania is a state in Australia that issued its own stamps between 1853 and 1900. These Tasmanian stamps pre-dated the era of national postage stamps, reflecting the era of disparate and distinct Australian areas that held on to a degree of postal autonomy that makes them so appealing to collectors. In 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Thereafter stamps of the new commonwealth were used in Tasmania.
Tasmanian Stamps and Van Diemen’s Land
Tasmania was originally called Anthony van Diemen’s Land. Eventually the name was shortened to Van Diemen’s Land and the first stamps were issued under that inscription. Van Diemen’s Land stamps, first appearing in 1853, are of course an excellent place to begin when collecting Tasmanian stamps. As with most other Australian stamps of this era, Van Diemen’s Land stamps featured images of Britain’s Queen Victoria.
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In 1858, the island had its name changed to Tasmania, in honor of the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. The first postage stamps using this name were quickly issued. Later Tasmanian stamps tended to show natural features of the island — waterfalls, rivers, mountains, et cetera.
Special Tasmanian Stamps
In 1882, the Tasmanian government approved the use of fiscal revenue stamps for postage. These stamps, having in fact been issued beginning back in 1863, remained valid for postage until Tasmania joined its neighbors to form Australia. Some of these have an overprint reading REVENUE.
Collecting Tasmanian Stamps
Collectors looking to build up a collection of Tasmanian stamps – or a greater Australian stamp collection – will usually need some Van Diemen’s Land issues, some of the special fiscal stamps, and regular postage stamps from the years before 1901. In addition to these, you can search for more recent stamps from Australia, and even other countries, that have featured Tasmania and Tasmania-related subjects on them.
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Australia is a particularly strong area of stamp collecting and Tasmanian stamps have proven popular throughout the years. This means that the offers of Tasmanian stamps for sale from online vendors sees a frequent turnover. That’s good for anyone looking for variety but it means that you need to keep an eye out for pieces that you like and act quickly when you find them.
