I don’t know if I’m the only person collecting stamp sheets from Nigeria and Biafra, but it feels like that sometimes.
I’m not sure if that makes me very smart or just a bit obsessed with collecting sheets with their repetitive, slightly hypnotic fascination.
Anyway, I bought this sheet recently from well-known dealer, it’s a full sheet of Biafra SG1, the 2d stamp issued on the 5th February 1968. It features a map of the breakaway Biafra Republic.
For the first time, I have a sheet with “backing paper”. I presume this was to stop the stamp sheets sticking to one another but fifty years later it’s stuck to the stamps, inevitably. But that’s the way things are and I’m happy as it makes a nice sheet. I suspect trying to peel the backing paper off would be a mistake.
It’s a big sheet too, which was a surprise, fully 36cm by 30cm, almost four times the size of the last Biafra overprint sheet I acquired.
You’re not the only one collecting Nigeria! Do look at our website http://www.wasc.org.uk and join us if you’d like to – we’re very welcoming and have members across the world, with about two thirds of them in the UK.
All the best with your collecting. My own specialism is Nigeria too.
Greetings & salutations earth creature. You are not the only one.
I’m an old Marine Veteran who just got back into stamping after about a 50 yr hiatus bc some of my grandkids got interested in collecting now.
I lived in Nigeria 1966-68. My father taught at the University of Nigeria in Ibadan. We arrived shortly after “the trains”.
There are many stories but other than a failed purported air raid & a cpl of run ins w the Nigerian Federal Troops incl an evening roadblock (just down the road from my school where the Federal Gov’t built an Army camp right next to our school (AIS-American Int’l School of Lagos)), run by their soldiers who had enjoyed their palm wine a bit too much & all I can tell you is thank God for the other cars that started showing up after they started doing a hand search of my mom, we were fine, unlike those Biafran souls whom the Federal troops caught before the unfortunate surrender. I guess the gutless UN only intervenes when it’s in their financial interest or something.
Alas I digress. Sorry for rambling on here. Did I happen to mention ADHD? At 65 it still gets the best of me sometimes.
Anyways by the end of this month I should have most every stamp, including, hopefully, some used.
However, the ones I’ve not found yet are those imprinted with “Help Biafran Children” or something like that.
Anyways we were rooting for Biafra the whole way. It’s unfortunate how it ended. And when I started seeing that Muslim terrorist group Boko Haran doing their thing, flashbacks of the Muslim pogrom in the 60’s popped up.
And again the UN sat… sorry. There I go again.
Anyways I just happened upon your post while searching for sites w Biafran stamps.
Not sure if you’ll comment & if you do I don’t know if I’ll see it.
Anyways I’m sure there’s many others.
Take care and have a blessed day.
Sincerely, doug
Hey Doug, great to hear from you. I”m going to reply via your regular email cos I have a few pics to send as well and don’t know if they’ll work via WordPress.
Regards Jonathan
Nice collections