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Mariana Islands
September and November 1899
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Spanish |
German |
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| 1899 Sc1 SG1 | 1899 SC11 SG7 |
| Description | Scott# | SG# | Mi# | Y&T# | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish rule, Philippines o/p, no wmk, perf 14 | ||||||
| 2 centavos dark blue-green | 1 | 1 | ||||
| other values 3c to 15c | 2-6 | 2-6 | ||||
| German protectorate, German o/p, no wmk, perf 13½x14½ † | ||||||
| 3 pfennigs dark brown | 11 | 7 | ||||
| other values 5pf to 50pf | 12-16 | 8-12 | ||||
† There are two versions of the German diagonal overprint with slopes of 48° and 56°. Scott [1] lists the 56° as Sc11-16 and the 48° as Sc11a-16a. Gibbons [2] reverses this with the 48° as SG1-6 and the 56° as SG7-12.
The Mariana islands, in the Western Pacific Ocean, were discovered by Magellan in 1521. Guam, to the south, was acquired by Spain in 1688. Following the Spanish-American War, 1898, the US took Guam. Handstamped Philippine stamps were then used in the remaining Spanish posessions. Germany purchased Mariana Islands as a proctectorate in 1899.
The islands were occupied by Japan in October 1914 and from December 1920 were a Japanese mandated territory. From July 1947 they have been a U.S. trust territory. In June 1975, the populace voted to be in the U.S. Commonwealth with internal autonomy. No local stamps were issued after 1920.