The first Cuba stamps were made available in April of 1855, 15 years after the first postage stamps were printed in Great Britain. Before the advent of the postage stamp in Cuba, letters were often delivered to the addressee requiring him or her to pay the postage. Even though stamps were not yet used, in the early 1800s letters were often marked with a postmark, an ink stamp signifying they had been through the postal system. Many collectors enjoy collecting envelopes and letters marked with these early postmarks as much as they enjoy collecting the stamps.

Some of the postmarks used before and after Cuba stamps were also used could read Mantanza, Esperanza, Puerto Principe, Batabano, Guines and Habana. International mail during the 1830s can often be identified by things like slits in the front of envelope that were placed there so that the letter could be fumigated. Cholera was rampant at the time and no one knew exactly how it was spread—many believed it to be airborne. So letters were taken to disinfectant stations before their departure where either slitting and fumigation, soaking in vinegar or other crude methods were used that were believed to kill dangerous germs.

The earliest Cuba stamps were sometimes placed at the bottom left-hand corner of the envelopes, rather than the upper right as we place stamps today. The stamps and markings decreased on most envelopes shortly after the advent of postage stamps because all postage was prepaid, so there was no need for postage due stamps and markings. Many letters that made it to different countries without postage stamps did so because they were given directly to captains of ships to take with them on their travels.

Collecting Cuba stamps was difficult during the 20th century because of the US embargo against all things Cuban that was put in place in 1963. Cigars, stamps and every product from the island of Cuba could not be imported legally into the United States, because that would mean Cuba profited from the sale, and the US at the time was interested in stripping power from Cuba on the world stage.

It wasn’t until 2001 when the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, declared that used and cancelled Cuba stamps were informational materials and began allowing them to be imported and sold. OFAC also agreed to grant certain licenses to collectors to import new and unused stamps from Cuba as long as they were for personal use and not for resale.

Soon after, used Cuba stamps began being sold and traded among stamp collectors, but because of the long embargo, many collectors have few if any stamps from Cuba. The stamps show the country’s history, and sometimes its rebellion against US power in the world, and can provide an insight to Cuban events and culture. Auctions like eBay are a great place to find Cuban stamps. Most will be cancelled, so ask about the gumming on the back and the general condition of the stamp.

Originally posted 2008-12-12 05:00:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Collecting Rare Stamps Online You may already have started up your own stamp collection, but how are you going to set your stamp collection apart from other people and their stamp collections? You are going to need to know where to look and shop around in order to find the best rare stamps, and......
• US Postage Stamps Stamps -> United States -> Collections, Lots When it comes to finding stamps of great value, US postage stamps are usually the most popular. In fact, many of these stamps may be worth more than $100k, and frequently will go well above that. When you are shopping for collectible US......
• Selling Stamp Collections If you are a stamp collector, one of the considerations you may end up making pertains to selling stamp collections. If you are interested in selling stamp collections, you are going to need to keep this in mind at all times and with every stamp that you buy. Stamp collectors......
• Swiss Soldier Stamps Stamps -> Europe -> Switzerland Some people, even those who have been collecting stamps for years, may never have heard of Swiss soldier stamps. That’s because these stamps weren’t actually postage stamps for use at large, they were created for the Swiss soldiers who were activated to full duty to......
• Old Postage Stamps Stamps -> United States -> 19th Century Unused One of the best ways to get interested in stamp collecting is to take a look at some old postage stamps. These are truly unique items and although they may not be as glitzy or as useful as today’s stamps, there are......

• Repair Credit Fast 'Secret' Saves Chicago Woman $1,346.85 & Stops Greedy Debt Collector! Repair credit fast secret rewards Desiree Brockhouse of Chicago, IL, who keeps $1346.85 in her pocket and stops another desperate debt collector's annoying phone calls. Most people have no clue how to dump illegally reported (& re-aged) accounts...the accounts that hang on despite expired statute of limitations. Chances are, you......
• How to make an accumulation a collection FMF recently asked about collecting and it reminded me of an article I read in one my coin magazines. Like FMF and many of the other commenters on his post, I have some coins.  Having coins -- even a lot of coins -- doesn't by itself make someone a coin......
• 7 Ways to Beat Back Debt Collectors. Being in debt is never a happy experience, but it can be down right detrimental to your health, wealth and happiness if that debt goes to a collection agency. Here's what you should know about dealing with debt collectors. Figure out what you're dealing with. The first thing you want......
• Credit Law Repair Warns Debbie Not To Take Advice From A Debt Collection Attorney! Credit law repair attorneys come in all shapes and sizes. Some help...some lie with malicious intent. Do you really think an attorney collecting on bad debt gives a hoot about you? Debbie owes a credit card debt. Her luck ran out and she got served. When that sheriff showed up......
• World Coins Money -> Coins: World Collecting world coins is a rewarding and fascinating hobby. The first official coins were struck around the 6th century BC in Lydia, though metals used as a type of currency far pre-dates that, to Mesopotamia somewhere between 1500 and 2000 BC. Ancient coinage is fascinating, with......

• Cuba North, Central America Coins World Coins Paper Money
• Postage Stamp Vending Machines Banks, Registers Vending Collectibles
• Postage United States Stamps