Ciskei, 50 Different Stamps

A Country That No Longer Exists —
Own 50 Different Used Stamps from Ciskei

Ciskei was one of four Black "homelands" declared independent by South Africa's apartheid government between 1976 and 1981 — territories carved out of a small fraction of South African land and assigned to specific ethnic groups as a tool of racial separation. Ciskei was the designated homeland for the Xhosa people of the eastern Cape, and it "existed" from December 4, 1981, until April 27, 1994, when the first democratic elections dissolved all the homelands and reincorporated them into a unified South Africa.

No country in the world recognized Ciskei's independence. But it issued stamps — and those stamps, spanning just thirteen years, form a historically bounded and fully collectible program that no new material will ever be added to. For collectors interested in African postal history and the stamps of the apartheid era, Ciskei is essential.

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

• Independence commemoratives — flag and coat of arms (1981-12-04) — the very first stamps Ciskei issued, marking "Inkululeko" (freedom in Xhosa) on December 4, 1981. The flag stamp shows Ciskei's blue crane emblem; the coat of arms stamp shows the shield and supporters. Dr. L.J.W. Sebe, Ciskei's founding leader, appears on a companion portrait stamp.
• Solar system series — one of the most unexpected stamp programs in African philately. Ciskei issued a lavishly illustrated series depicting the planets and objects of the solar system — Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, meteoroids, comets — painted with real astronomical detail by artist J.J. van Ellinckhuizen.
• Birds and wildlife — Xhosa homeland birds, indigenous trees, and the natural environment of the eastern Cape, rendered with the care that characterized Ciskei's best definitive issues.
• Xhosa cultural life — traditional figures, crafts, and scenes from the daily life of the Xhosa people, who have one of the richest cultural traditions in southern Africa.

Fifty stamps from a country that existed for thirteen years and then ceased to exist entirely. Every packet is different — order today and see what you get.