Burundi, 100 stamps

One of Africa's Most Colorful Stamp Programs
100 Different Stamps from Burundi

Burundi gained independence from Belgium in 1962, and from the very beginning its stamps went big — vivid wildlife, Old Master paintings, space exploration, the Olympics, flowers, fish, and African history all rendered in rich color. For a small landlocked country on the edge of Lake Tanganyika, Burundi produced one of the most ambitious stamp programs in all of Africa.

With 100 different stamps, you get a genuine cross-section of everything this remarkable program has to offer.

Selections will vary, but here are some stamps you may find in your packet:

• African wildlife — Mandrill and Greater Kudu (2F se-tenant pairs) — two of Africa's most striking animals side by side in the same stamp strip. The mandrill's electric blue face and the kudu's spiral horns make these among the most eye-catching stamps in the entire collection.
• Fish of Lake Tanganyika (6F se-tenant blocks) — vivid tropical fish rendered in brilliant color. Lake Tanganyika, on Burundi's western border, is one of the world's deepest lakes and home to hundreds of fish species found nowhere else — a collector's dream for marine life topicalists.
• Beethoven portrait (50F) — from Burundi's series honoring great composers and musicians, issued with the kind of rich engraved-style printing that made Burundian stamps stand out.
• Javelin thrower (40F) — a powerful athletic figure from one of Burundi's Olympic sports series, rendered in warm tones.
• Red Cross semi-postal (30F+5F) — a charity stamp benefiting the Red Cross, part of a semi-postal series that allowed collectors to support international humanitarian work through their hobby.
• Burundi building — Premier Anniversaire de la République — marking the first anniversary of the republic, a milestone in the country's transition from kingdom to republic in 1966.

Beyond these, you may find Old Master paintings, astronauts, African history scenes, and more of the wildlife and nature that made Burundi one of the most collected African nations. Send for yours now.