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Cameroun
First, some background. Louis Laflamme (FICC#210) provided a full (3-page) explanation of Cameroun issues in Journal v21n1. The images used are taken from that article. In summary,
- Cameroun is on the West African coast and is "rich in first issues".
- It began its philatelic life as a German colony, captured by Britain, France and Belgium in WW1, GB & Fr producing occupation issues.
- After the war, the UN mandated parts of Cameroun to Britain and France and Neukamerun became part of French Equatorial Africa. The British mandate had a northern and a southern component.
This page is divided into
German colony and occupation issues
April 1897
perf 13½ x 14½, no wmk
| Description | Date | Scott | SG | Mi | Y&T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 pfennig yellow-brown | 1898 | 1 | K1a | 1 | ||
| 3pf red-brown | 1898 | 1a | K1b | |||
| 3pf dark brown | Aug 1897 | 1b | K1 | |||
| 5pf green | Apr 1897 | 2 | K2 | 2 | ||
| 10pf carmine | Apr 1897 | 3 | K3 | 3 | ||
| 20pf ultra | Apr 1897 | 4 | K4 | 4 | ||
| 25pf orange | Apr 1897 | 5 | K5 | 5 | ||
| 50pf red-brown | Oct 1897 | 6 | K6, 6a | 6 |
† C.E.F. = Cameroons Expeditionary Force
French Cameroun
15th July 1921
 |
 |
 |
French Mandate |
Autonomy |
Independence |
| 1921 Sc147 SG46 FICC #518 | 1958 Sc331 SG271 | 1960 Sc336 SG276 |
French Cameroun first used Middle Congo overprints and then specific stamps from 1925. During WW2, the people of Cameroun supported de Gaulle and the Free French and used stamps printed in London. The Vichy govt. produced stamps for Cameroun but they were never used there. After the war the mandates became United Nations Trust Territories. French Cameroun became an autonomous state on April 16, 1957 (still under French guardianship) with a first stamp issued in 1958. Full independence was finally achieved on January 1, 1960.
British Cameroons
1st October 1960
 |
U.K. Trust Territory |
| 1960 Sc66 SG-T1 FICC #663 |
The British mandate area, both North and South, used the stamps of Nigeria from 1924. In February 1960, there were separate votes on their futures: Northern Cameroons voted to become part of Nigeria; Southern Cameroons opted to join (what had been French) Cameroun. While this was being decided, a stamp issue was made, overprinted "Cameroons U.K.T.T." (United Kindom Trust Territory) on Nigerian stamps.
Republic
1st October 1961
 |
Africa | 20 |  |
 |
 |
 |
for Southern Cameroons |
for Camerouns |
United Republic |
| 1961 Sc343 SG286 | 1962 Sc352 SG298 | 1972 Sc546 SG648 |
On October 1, 1961 Southern Cameroons and Cameroun formed the Federal Republic of Cameroun and set of stamps was issued for use in the former Southern Cameroons, French Cameroun stamps of 1946 overprinted in red "REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE" with a surcharge denominated in shillings and pence rather than centimes and francs. In the rest of the country, a set celebrating reunification was issued on January 1, 1962. As a final act, the Federal system was abandoned on May 20, 1972 and the country became the United Republic of Cameroon, the first stamp being issued on July 20