• Southern-East Europe, often referred to as the Balkans, includes a diverse group of countries with rich and complex histories. The countries typically considered part of this region include:

Aegean islands

  • The Aegean Islands have a rich and diverse philatelic history due to their strategic location and the influence of various powers over the centuries.

Athos

  • Mount Athos, a monastic state in Greece, has a unique postal system and issues its own postage stamps.

Bulgaria

  • Bulgaria was formerly a Turkish province and under Turkish sovereignty from 1878 to 1908. In the latter year an independent kingdom was proclaimed. Bulgaria has been a People’s Republic since 1946. Bulgaria issued its first postage stamps in 1879.

Crete

  • Postage stamps from Crete are a fascinating subject, reflecting the island’s rich history and changing political landscapes.

Cyprus

  • Cyprus was administered by the British Empire starting in 1878. The first British stamps used in Cyprus were overprinted with “CYPRUS.”

Epirus

  • The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was established in 1914 by the local Greek population

Greece

  • First Greek Stamps (1861): Known as the “Large Hermes Heads,” these stamps were the first to be issued by Greece and depicted the head of Hermes, the Greek messenger god.

Icaria

  • Icaria declared itself an independent state known as the Free State of Icaria on July 17, 1912, following the withdrawal of Ottoman forces during the Balkan Wars.

Ionian Islands

  • Following the fall of Venice in 1797, the islands were briefly controlled by France. The French did not issue specific stamps for the Ionian Islands, but French postal systems were used

Romania East

  • Postage stamps from Eastern Romania, particularly those associated with regions like Moldavia and the Dobruja, reflect the region’s rich and diverse historical context

Romania

  • The first stamps labeled “Romania” were issued in 1862, replacing regional issues from Moldavia and Wallachia.

Samos

  • Samos, located in the Aegean Sea, has had a dynamic history, which is reflected in its postal issues.

Thrace

  • The philatelic history of Thrace is marked by various administrations and periods of occupation, each reflected in its postage stamps.

Türkiye

  • The first stamps of the Ottoman Empire were issued in 1863, known as the “Tughra” series, featuring the sultan’s tughra (calligraphic signature).

Turkish Cyprus

  • Postage stamps from Turkish Cyprus, specifically from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), provide insight into the region’s complex political history and cultural heritage.