Oltre Giuba

1925 Scott 4 10c claret, Overprinted

"Victor Emmanuel III"

Quick History
Oltre Giuba ( Greater Juba, Trans-Juba, Italian Jubaland) is a strip 50-100 miles wide west and parallel to the Juba River in East Africa that was ceded to Italy in 1925 by the British. This northern portion of the Jubaland territory was a former part of the British East Africa (then East Africa & Uganda Protectorates, then Kenya) colony. One may ask "why", and supposedly it was a reward to Italy for having joined the allies in WW I.

1926  Map of Oltre Giuba on Stamp

As "Oltre Giuba" was on the western edge of already established Italian Somaliland (Somalia, Benadir), it was absorbed into the older colony on July 1, 1926.

The Fascist Italian Government then combined Italian Eritrea, the Ethiopian Empire, and Italian Somaliland into Italian East Africa (1936-41). After WW II, Italian Somaliland became the Trust Territory of Somalia in 1949, and finally achieved independence in 1960.

The little strip of Oltre Giuba (Capital Kismayu, population 12,000) had stamp production from July 29, 1925- June 1, 1926. Let's take a look....

1926 Scott 34 1l blue 

"Map of Oltre Giuba"

Into the Deep Blue
The 2011 Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue has, for Oltre Giuba 1925-1925, 66 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 15 ( 23%) are CV $1+.  As is usual for Italian colonies, the stamps for Oltre Giuba are moderately expensive.

A closer look at the stamps and issues
100 Centesimi = 1 Lira

1925 Scott 2 2c yellow brown, Overprinted

"Coat of Arms"

The initial July 29, 1925 fifteen stamp issue consisted of Italian stamps of 1901-26 overprinted "Oltre Giuba" as shown.

1925 Scott 3 5c green, Overprinted

"Victor Emmanuel III"

As one would expect for a rather remote short lived colony, genuine used is less common than unused in collections- and generally more expensive.

1925 Scott 6 20c brown orange, Overprinted

"Victor Emmanuel III"

Eleven of the stamps in the fifteen stamp issue have a CV of $2+-$5+. There was also five additional stamps issued in 1925-26: the last three ( Scott 18-20) have CVs of $40-$80. For those using the Big Blue album, be aware that these expensive stamps are included with spaces. 

1925 Scott 22a 1L dark blue

Italian Stamps of 1925, Overprinted

"Victor Emmanuel"

In 1925-26, the 1925 Italian "Victor Emmanuel Issue'" was overprinted on three stamps. CV ranges from $1+-$3+.

1926 Scott 31 25c olive brown

"Map of Oltre Giuba"

The only issue that features "Oltre Giuba" specifically was produced on April 26, 1926. It consists of a seven stamp set, and shows a map of the colony. The CV is a modest $1.

1926 Scott B3 20c + 5c blue green

"Peace", Substituting Spade for Sword

The omnibus "Colonial Institute Issue" was produced on June 1, 1926. These six semi-postals are CV $1 each.

There were also issued overprinted Italian stamps of Special Delivery, Postage Due, and Parcel Post  (Total = 25). They are fairly expensive (CV $10+-$100+), and I don't have any.

On July 1, 1926, Otre Giuba was absorbed into Italian Somaliland, and stamp production for the small colony ceased.

Deep Blue

1926 Map Issue in Deep Blue

Deep Blue (Steiner) has five pages for Oltre Giuba, and includes a space for all the major Scott numbers.

1926 Scott B4 40c + 5c brown red

"Peace", Substituting Spade for Sword

Big Blue
The '69 edition has one page for Oltre Giuba and 35 spaces. Coverage is a fairly generous 53%, considering the moderately expensive cost for these stamps.

The country in the '69 Big Blue is located between Nyassa and Orange River Colony.

In the '47, the country is  between the Nyasaland Protectorate - Obock page, and the Oldenburg -Palestine page.

In the 40s editions is another 2/3 of a page with 6 parcel post (CV $20+-$30), 6 postage due ( CV $10+), and 2 special delivery (CV $20+, $50) spaces, for a total of 14 more spaces. Generally, I'm not happy when BB drops spaces, but these stamps are quite expensive. ;-) I will include these stamp spaces and catalogue numbers in the checklist for those that would like to collect them.

But, still included in the '69 stamp spaces is Scott 18, 19, 20 , for CV $40, $57, and $80 respectively. !!!

Checklist

1925-26
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,
9, (10),21,22,16,17,
24,25,26,27,
29,30,31,32,33,34,35,
23,18,19,20,

Semi-postal
1926
B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,B6,

To be found
In 40s Editions...

Parcel Post
1925
Q1,Q2,Q3,
Q4,Q5,Q6,

Postage Due
1926
J1,J2,J3,J4,J5,J6,

Special Delivery
1926
E1,E2,

Comments
A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold):
1925 Scott 18 75c dark red & rose ($40)
1925 Scott 19 1.25 l blue & ultramarine ($57+)
1925 Scott 20 2.50 l dark green & orange ($80)
Note: the fourteen 40s edition stamps that were dropped in the '69 have a CV between $10+- $50.
B) (    ) around a space indicates a blank space choice.

1925 Scott 1 1c brown, Overprinted

"Coat of Arms"

Out of the Blue
I've never quite warmed up to Italian colony stamps. Generally, they are  unused, and many of them merely consist of overprinted Italian stamps. They seem "artificial", intended primarily to extract money from collectors. (But, one can argue that is true for many/ most of the world's colonies. ;-)

And a large portion of Italian colony stamps tend to be expensive.

But little "Oltre Giuba" is interesting enough. And, if one wants to feel a bit superior, ask your non-philatelic friends where "Oltre Giuba" was located.

Note: Oops, I missed Oldenburg, a German Grand Duchy! That post will be put at the end of the current queue, and published in several months.

Comments?