Stamps by Countries

It is sometimes difficult to decide whether a stamp is an official issue and thus valid for postage, especially in African and Asian countries. If a stamp is listed in the world-wide accepted and well-known stamp catalogues Michel (MI, Germany), Scott (SC, USA), Stanley-Gibbons (SG, United Kingdom) or Yvert & Tellier (YV, France) it is a real postage stamp for sure. Often these catalogues publish new issues from exotic countries only many years after their issue date.

If it is doubtful whether a stamp is an official issue or not that particular stamp remains listed in the category "Stamps" unless its unauthorized status is proven.

Stamp GBS 2009 May 29th SS - Famous painters - °Oarsmen's breakfast° (1881) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
Stamp GBS 2011 Sept. 27th SS - OG London

MI Bl. 1003

Stamp GBS 2023 (unauthorized issue) - OG Atlanta 1996 - Rob Waddell (NZL)

Stamp GBS 2023 OG Atlanta Rob Waddell NZL

Rob Waddell won the M1X B-final at

OG Atlanta 1996 (= 7th place),

became M1X World champion in 1998,

defended his title in 1999 and crowned

his career with the M1X gold medal win

at OG Sydney 2000.

Stamp GBS 2023 (unauthorized issue) - OG Atlanta 1996 - Silken Laumann (CAN)

Stamp GBS 2023 OG Atlanta Silke Laumann CAN

Silken Laumann gained the W2X bronze medal

at OG Los Angeles 1984 together with her sister

Danielle. She won the W1X gold medal in 1991

and was the gold medal favourite for OG Barcelona

1992 when ten weeks prior to the Games her right

leg was shattered by an accident in the warm-up area

of regatta Essen (GER). A M4- crew had rammed into

her shell. Told that she would never row again and

after five operations she walked with a cane to her

boat and won the W1X bronze medal.

She finished her career with the W1X silver medal at

OG Atlanta 1996.

FISA introduced traffic rules for the warm-up areas

of regattas after the 1992 incident.

Stamp GBS 2023 (unauthorized issue) - OG Atlanta 1996 - Xeno Mueller (SUI), M1X gold medal winner

M1X Final A OG Atlanta 1996

Gold:      Xeno Muller (SUI)         6:44,85

Silver:     Derek Porter (CAN)      6:47,45

Bronze: Thomas Lange (GER)   6:47,72
Stamp GBS 2025 Apr. 30th - African Youth Games in Angola, scheduled for December 2025 (two different values)
Stamp GDR 1968 June 6th - WERC Berlin (perforated & imperforated proofs)

       MI 1373

       SC 1013

       SG E 1094

       YV 1069

   imperforated proofs

              Imperforated proofs are very rare - about 10 of each are believed to exist

Stamp GDR 1968 Sept. 18th - OG Mexico (perforated and imperforated proofs)


MI 1409 SC 1046 SG E 1130 YV 1105
imperforated proofs	colours added
black inscription added	golden Olympic rings added

Imperforated proofs are very rare (about 10 existing)

Stamp GDR 1972 May 16th - Heinz-Juergen Bothe & Joerg Lucke (GDR), M2- gold medal winners OG Mexico 1968

       MI 1756

       SG E 1474

       YV 1443
Stamp GDR 1976 May 18th - OG Montreal - finish tower at regatta course Brandenburg

        MI 2129

        SC 1724

        SG E 1844

        YV 1806
Stamp GDR 1980 Apr. 22nd - OG Moscow : Painting °Leipziger Vierer° by Wilfried Falkenthal (1975) depicting - from left to right - Wolfgang Mager, Stefan Semmler, Andeas Decker and stroke Siegtfried Brietzke (GDR), M4- gold medal winners OG Montreal 1976

       MI 2505

       SC 2099

       SG E 2226

       YV 2167

Stamp GDR 1984 OG Los Angeles #Coll. JE#

GDR boycotted the Olympic Games 1984 and the stamp on the left was never released. The image was used for the stamp on the right (OG Seoul 1988).
The most expensive rowing stamp in the world - less than ten are known. MI III	1988

Stamp GDR 1988 Aug. 9th - OG Seoul

       MI 3186

       SC 2693

       SG E 2889

       YV 2799
Stamp GEQ 1972 Aug. 17th SS - OG Munich (pictogram behind the runner's left leg)

MI SS 18
Stamp GEQ 1972 July 25th OG Munich (gold-foil) - 800 issued perforated, 200 issued imperforated

       MI 106 perforated

       SC 72111

       MI A 106 imperforated

       SC 72113

Stamp GEQ 1972 July 25th OG Munich (M2- + M4-) - perforated & imperforated

MI 103 A

SC 72-109

YV PA 8-A

MI 103 B

MI 104 A

SC 72-110

YV PA 8-B

MI 104 B

Stamp GEQ 1972 July 25th SS OG Munich - Regatta course Munich-Oberschleissheim finish area with grandstand and finish tower

MI SS 15 - stamp MI 105

SC 72-111
Stamp GEQ 1972 Oct. 30th - OG Munich (gold-foil) with green overprint °Gold medal 4+ RFA° (= GER) - 800 issued perforated, 200 issued imperforated

       MI B 106 perforated

       SC 72112

       MI C 106 imperforated

       SC 72114
Stamp GEQ 1975 Nov. 20th - OG Montreal (perforated & imperforated) with pictogram

Stamp GEQ 1976 March 5th OG Montreal (perforated & imperforated)


MI 784 SC 76-32 YV 84-A
	The stamp shows the GDR M4+ crew (D. Zander, R. Gust, E. Martens, R. Jobst, cox K.-D. Ludwig) who won the silver medal at OG Munich 1972. The designer eliminated the cox (only a small part of his head is visible on the original photo) changing the M4+ into a M4-.

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