A joint issue is the release of stamps or postal stationery by two or more countries to commemorate the same topic, event or person. Joint issues typically have the same first day of issue and their design is often similar or identical, except for the identification of country and value.
Continental joint issues Europa postage stamps : Between 1956 and 1973 the postal authorities of several European nations issued stamps with a common design but since 1974 a common topic is used on stamps issued each year. These are not true joint issues, because they do not share the same designs or dates of issue.
An early unrealized trans-Atlantic joint issue 1914 peace commemoratives: In 1914, the United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada and the United States agreed on a plan by which each of the three nations would issue its own series of stamps that year to commemorate the 100 years of Anglo-American peace that had prevailed since the end of the War of 1812. After the outbreak of World War I later that year, however, the UK and Canada deemed it inappropriate to issue peace stamps and withdrew from the project. The US had already produced essays for 2¢ and 5¢ stamps but canceled further plans for the designs. (This would not have been a true joint issue because each country would have designed its stamps individually.)
Australia The Australia Post has collaborated several times with the postal administration of another country to release a joint issue.
Year Postal administration Topic Note Date of issue 1958 30th Anniversary of First Tasman Flight August 27, 1958 1963 Completion of the Commonwealth Pacific Cable System December 3, 1963 1983 Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement March 9, 1983 1988 Bicentenary of Australia Koala and eagle January 26, 1988 1988 Bicentenary of Australia June 21, 1988 1988 Bicentenary of Australia Koala and kiwi June 21, 1988 1990 Scientific Co-operation in Antarctica June 13, 1990 1995 Opening of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge April 8, 1994 1995 Koala and panda September 1, 1995 1996 Australian Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus) and Indonesian Bear Cuscus (Ailurops ursinus) March 22, 1996 1996 Baron Ferdinand von Mueller Centenary of death of German-Australian botanist October 9, 1996 1996 Willem de Vlamingh Tercentenary of de Vlamingh's voyage to Western Australia November 1, 1996 1998 Native orchids of Australia and Singapore Phalaenopsis rosenstromii, Arundina graminifolia, Grammatophyllum speciosum, Dendrobium phalaenopsis August 6, 1998 1999 Maritime links - Marco Polo March 19, 1999 1999 Maritime links - Polly Woodside March 19, 1999 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Handover to Athens September 15, 2000 2001 Dragon boat racing June 25, 2001 2001 Daniel Solander Swedish botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on HMS EndeavourAugust 16, 2001 2002 Bicentenary of encounter between Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders April 4, 2002 2002 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations Waterlilies: Nymphaea immutabilis, Nelumbo nucifera August 6, 2002 2005 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Australia: Greater Blue Mountains Area, Wet Tropics of Queensland, Purnululu National Park, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National ParkUK: Blenheim Palace, Stonehenge, Heart of Neolithic Orkney, Hadrian's Wall April 21, 2005 2009 Species at Risk Subantarctic fur seal, C.I. blue-tailed skink, Green turtle, Bridled nail-tail wallaby, N.I. green parrot August 4, 2009 2010 Kokoda Kokoda Trail Campaign in WW II April 20, 2010 2011 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations Musical instruments: haegeum, didgeridoo October 28 and 31, 2011 2013 Battle of Beersheba in WW I May 10, 2013 2013 Ludwig Leichhardt Bicentenary of birth of German explorer and naturalist October 10 and 15, 2013 2014 Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) Centenary of Nortfolk Island as an external territory of Australia July 22, 2014 2015 ANZAC Centenary of landing at ANZAC Cove (Gallipoli Campaign in WW I) April 7, 2015 2015 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Singapore and between New Zealand and Singapore Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament House, Wellington and Parliament House, Singapore August 14, 2015 [top]
Austria The Austria Post has collaborated several times with the postal administration of other countries to release joint issues.
Year Postal administration Topic Note Date of issue 2004 , 100th anniversary of death of Theodor Herzl 2010 Simon Wiesenthal, Nazi hunter June 14, 20102020ChristmasNovember 20, 2020 [top]
Belgium The Belgium Post has collaborated several times with the postal administration of other countries to release joint issues.
Year Postal administration Topic Images Note 1991 Europalia '91 Princess Isabel and Philip le Bon 1991 Alfred William Finch (1854–1930) Painting The English Coast near Dover 1993 Missale Romanus 1994 , Georges Simenon 1995 250th anniversary of the Battle of Fontenoy 1996 Théo van Rysselberghe 1997 Queen Paola of Belgium 1999 Paintings of James Ensor 1998 René Magritte 1998 Mniszech Palace 2001 Pottery and Porcelain 2001 70th Anniversary of Tintin in the Congo 2002 Lace 2002 Windmills 2004 Centenary of Edgar Pierre Jacobs' birthcreator of comic Blake and Mortimer 2005 Carpets and tapestry; relationship between both countries. 2006 CoBrA (Copenhagen - Brussels - Amsterdam) artist group (1948–1951); paintings. 2006 Reassignment of commercial warehouses. 2007 Stoclet Palace 2007 Luxembourg: 2007 European culture capital. 2008 New Zealand: 90th anniversary of the end of World War One. 2012 Art by Jan BrueghelCabaret on the Banks of the River Souvenir sheet [top]
Berlin Deutsche Bundespost Berlin of West Berlin prior to German reunification in 1990 had released the following joint issues.
Year Postal administration Topic Images Note 1969 200th birthday of Alexander von Humboldt 1990 500th anniversary of European Postal Services [top]
Brazil
Year Postal administration Topic Note Date of issue 2000 Discovery of Brazil, 500th anniversary Block of 4 April 11, 2000 2000 Masks and puppets October 9, 2000 2001 World Conference Against Racism August 30, 2001 2002 2002 World Cup Soccer Tournament April 22, 2002 2005 Dances August 16, 2005 2007 Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian leader July 4, 2007 2008 Arrival of Portuguese Royal Family, 200th anniversary January 22, 2008 2008 Japanese immigration to Brazil June 18, 2008 2009 Bridges October 30, 2009 2010 Historical and tourist sites June 28, 2010 2011 Writers Ivo Andric of Yugoslavia (Nobel Prize winner)Rachel de Queiroz of Brazil October 26, 2011 2012 Traditional foods of Brazil and Mexico June 1, 2012 [top]
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Posts of the Republic of Bulgaria have released the following joint issues:
Year Postal administration Topic Note Date of issue 2009 Diplomatic relations, 130th anniversary Souvenir sheet October 22, 2009 2009 Nature conservation: Balkan area birds. Twin issue - Two identical stamps.Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)Rufous-tailed rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis). Multicolored 2013 Mission of Sts. Cyril and Methodiusto Slavic Lands 1150th anniversary Souvenir sheet 2013 135th anniversary of theRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878) Souvenir sheet 2014 Diplomatic relations, 135th anniversary 2016 Bird Migration. Storks: The stork is connected to human habitats and in Europe it signifies the arrival of spring and symbolizes hope. Some 600,000 storks migrate through Israel's skies twice a year, among them probably all of Bulgaria's storks. Souvenir leaf September 13, 2016 2017 Black Sea Flora and Fauna Souvenir sheet 2018 140th anniversary of theRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878) Souvenir sheet [top]
Canada Canada Post has released the following joint issues. The United States Postal Service has been Canada Post's most prolific philatelic partner.