Nigerian Stamps and Postal History

The first question that I have been grappling with this past week is where to start this blog. I know that I need to upload some actual stamps to bring this subject to life. Once I get some items scanned, I will make this the subject of my next post. But first, a brief overview. Nigeria as we know it today, was formed in 1914, when Northern and Southern Nigeria joined to form the country. Northern and Southern Nigeria, at least from a philatelic perspective, did not themselves exist until 1901. Northern Nigeria was formed then from the northern region of what was called the Niger Company Territories, plus some other regions to the west, which had not previously had postal service. The Niger Company Territories were composed of what is now a large part of Cameroun, plus the area around Port Harcourt. Southern Nigeria was formed from the southern region of the Niger Company Territories and the Niger Coast (Oil Rivers) Protectorate. Lagos was a separate colony, which did not join Southe...

I have been collecting stamps for almost 34 years now. In that time, I have specialized in the stamps of Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Commonwealth King George VI and many more. For 32 of those years I struggled to find a collecting area that could sustain my interest. For as long as I could remember, I have wanted to write a philatelic work - to contribute in some lasting way to this fantastic hobby. Two years ago, I started collecting the stamps and postal history of Nigeria and what an amazing area! What is so amazing about it? Well, I love detail - papers, shades, watermarks, perforations, errors, cancellations etc. I also love a challenge, and so my stamps have to have some scarcity factor. This is why I would not stick to the major industrialized countries - I found the material too expensive for how un-scarce it actually is.  Nigeria has it all. First, there is the fact that until 1914, it was several separate colonies and protectorates: Niger Coast Protectorate, Lagos...