Hand Stamped Two-Headed Eagle of Albania

The independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire was officially announced in November 1912, immediately after the Second Balkan War. Albania may have been a newly independent state back then, but territorially, the country was scattered and partially controlled by Serbian, Montenegrin and Greek forces that set stations in the contested border areas. The new government, on the other hand, was taking control of the southern region of the country. A postal service was also in existence, but it was run by foreign providers, including Austro-Hungarian and Italian Post Offices. There were also select facilities that were run by the Field Post Offices for government troops. These services were present in large cities, with Turkish stamps used until 1912.

After 1912, the Minister of Posts exercised limited control of the post offices in Vlore, Gjirokaster, Fier and Tepelene. The government also lost Tepelene and Gjirokaster by May 1913 to the Greeks, but the Albanian government soon gained control of Elbasan and Berat thanks in part to the decision of the Serbian troops to withdraw. By the time the government introduced the ‘Eagle’ overprints, the Albanian Government maintained offices in Lushnie, Durres, Fier, Berat, Elbasan, Kruje, Kavaje, Shijak, Qukes, Pegin, Vlore, Tirane and Skrapar.

Handstamped Eagle Issues

The government started with the use of ‘Ministeria e Post Teleg e Telefonevet’ double ring cachet that featured a two-headed ‘Eagle’. The use of these stamps was initially reserved for Official Post Office use but starting May 5, 1913, these stamps were soon made available to the public. These envelopes were made available for 1 piastre. It is believed that there were 2,230 items issued all in all. A second batch of handstamp items was issued on May 1913, featuring the same double ring circle but with a different wording of ‘Postat e Qeverries se Perkoheshme" with "te Shqipenies’. This batch was available in limited numbers and its release coincided with the issuance of the ‘Eagle’ stamps.

These stamps were redesigned in October 1913 thanks to the inclusion of small eagle with two heads and stamp values from 10pa to 10gr, and were later referred to as the ‘Typewriter’ issue. These stamps were prepared to complement the limited number of ‘Eagle’ stamps in the market.

Albanian Postal Service After World War I

Right after World War I, postal service was limited outside the larger cities. The postal arrangement was complicated by the absence of infrastructure and reliable transport facilities. In order to use the mail service, one had to submit an application to the finance office where the fees and stamp requirements were assessed and partially paid for. The document was then handstamped to show fees have been settled, and the document could be brought to the post office that would facilitate its delivery. Once the document had been received by the other party, it was handstamped once again.