This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Georgia.
Georgia is in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan. Georgia covers a territory of and its population is 4.385 million.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire.David M. Lang, A Modern History of Georgia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1962; p. 109. After a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia was invaded by Bolshevik armies in 1921 and incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922. The independence of Georgia was restored in 1991.
First stamps The first stamps of Georgia as the Democratic Republic of Georgia were issued on 26 May 1919. A further series was issued in 1921.Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Part 10 Russia. 6th edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2008, pp.426–441.
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic In January and February 1922 a series of five stamps were issued for Georgia's membership as a Soviet Republic.
Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic In March 1922 until September 1923 overprinted stamps of The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic were used. From 1 October 1923 general issues of the Transcaucasian Federation were used.
Soviet stamps From 1924 until 1993 stamps of the Soviet Union were used in Georgia following the absorption of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic into the U.S.S.R.
Independence Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Georgia became independent again in April 1991 and issued stamps in its own name from 31 July 1993. Unlike other ex-Soviet republics, Georgia did not overprint Soviet stamps to meet their postal needs after independence,http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/overprsoviet_20020812/refreshercourse.aspx . Retrieved 2 April 2010. although a number of overprints were carried out on Georgian stamps in 1994.
Abkhazia Stamps have been produced purporting to be from the Republic of Abkhazia, an area in western Georgia that is not recognised as a sovereign state by all but few countries. Most stamps of Abkhazia are believed to be bogus, produced in foreign countries solely for sale to collectors, but more recently Abkhazia has produced stamps that may have legitimate use locally within the borders of the disputed area.https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Dm2YyI56OlE/TFEYgKnRLLI/AAAAAAAADHo/nh2Uj93NQ0g/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg Possible evidence of legitimate local use. They are not recognised by the UPU.
See also Postage stamps of Batum under British occupation
References
Further reading Ashford, Peter T. Georgia: Postal Cancellations 1918–1923. Ashton: P. Ashford, 1991 158p. Barefoot, John & Andrew Hall. Georgia. York: Barefoot Investments, 1983 66p. Series Title: European Philately; 11. Hughes, William E. and P.T. Ashford. The Postage Stamps of Georgia (Transcaucasia); The Stamps of St. George. Bristol: P. Ashford, in association with the British Society of Russian Philately, 1951 46p.
External links Philately of the former Soviet Union.