Polish interwar stamps
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
1918-1939
Issuing entity
Second Polish RepublicPolish interwar stamps are postal issues of the restored Polish state produced between 1918 and 1939. The stamp program began following the creation of the Second Polish Republic in November 1918, initially utilising local emissions and provisional overprinted stamps to establish postal service across the country.
These early provisional overprints were subsequently followed by national definitive stamp issues. The series represent the unified postal system of Poland, which had previously ceased to operate independently following the partitions of the late eighteenth century and the absorption of its territories into foreign postal administrations.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The historical context of Polish interwar stamps is rooted in the re-emergence of an independent Poland following the partitions of 1772, 1793, and 1795, which dissolved the sovereign nation. During the partition era, Polish territory and postal services were divided among Austria (including the Kingdom of Galicia until 1918), Germany, and Russia. After the occupation of Congress Poland by the Central Powers in 1915, the Second Polish Republic was formed in November 1918. The initial postal issues of the restored state directly reflected the varied postal administrations inherited from these partitioning powers, relying on provisional overprints before regular national definitives were introduced.
Design
- Note
- Provisional overprints followed by national definitives.
Identification
- Note
- Provisional overprints are frequently forged and require expert authentication.
- Recognition pointers (from background sources)
- Look for provisional overprints applied to early stamps prior to the release of regular national definitives. Distinguish between early local and overprinted provisional issues and the subsequent national definitive series. Exercise caution with provisional overprints, as they are frequently forged and require expert authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Catalogue numbers and issue dates require transcription from a standard stamp catalogue.