Ifni, 75 Different Stamps

Ifni — 75 Different Stamps:
A Vanished Spanish Territory
on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco —
and a Catalog That's Closed Forever

Ifni was one of the smallest and most remote territories in the Spanish colonial world — a narrow enclave on the Atlantic coast of southern Morocco, surrounded on all sides by Moroccan land. Spain formally occupied it in 1934, and for the next 35 years it maintained its own postal identity under the España-Ifni imprint. When Spain ceded the territory to Morocco in 1969, the catalog closed permanently. Every stamp issued under the Ifni name is now a fixed piece of history — nothing new will ever be added.

Contents vary from packet to packet, but here's a look at some of what you might find:

• Saharan wildlife. Ifni's stamps document the fauna of the western Sahara and Atlantic Morocco with real detail — fennec foxes, ibex, pelicans, fish, jellyfish, locusts, and camels all appear. These natural history issues give the catalog a distinctive character rooted in the territory's desert and coastal environment.
• The people of Ifni. The territory's Amazigh (Berber) population appears throughout the stamp catalog — figures in traditional dress, women carrying vessels, and child portraits that reflect daily life in a place most of the world never knew existed.
• Overprints and early issues. Some of Ifni's earliest stamps were Spanish issues overprinted "Territorio de Ifni" — transitional artifacts from the moment Spain established its postal presence in the territory. These sit alongside the later purpose-designed issues and give a packet real chronological range.
• Semi-postal and Stamp Day issues. Like other Spanish territories of the era, Ifni issued semi-postal stamps with surcharges supporting child welfare (Pro-Infancia), as well as annual Stamp Day commemoratives. These are a consistent thread through the catalog and often feature carefully designed imagery.
• Transportation and colonial life. Aircraft, postal trucks, sailing vessels, and scenes of daily activity in the territory appear among the issues — a portrait of a small colonial outpost going about its business on the edge of the Sahara.

When Spain handed Ifni back to Morocco in 1969, this catalog closed for good. Order today and add a piece of it to your collection.