The Republic of Egypt and its stamps lasted from 1953, when Farouk and the Kingdom that had existed since 1923 was overthrown, until 1958, when Egypt joined forces with Syria to form the United Arab Republic. The Republic of Egypt not only represented the final break with Sudan, but the first declaration of an Egyptian republic, one that has lasted in one form or another until the present day.
Overprinting the exiled king
The stamps of the Republic of Egypt at first were mostly old stamps with the now-exiled King Farouk’s portrait unceremoniously overprinted out with three thick bars over his face. The message was clear; the new Republic was quite happy with itself and further stamps honored the one-year anniversary of the 1952 revolution, and later its fifth anniversary.
French Somaliland rare stamps (Côte Française des Somalis)
Other issues
Other stamps issued by the Republic of Egypt included commemorations of the evacuation of British troops from Suez as well as stamps honoring the agriculture and other aspects of the land. Collectors looking to buy Republic of Egypt stamps are generally in luck; there is a wide variety of issues, overprints, cancellations, covers, unissued stamps and intriguing inscriptions to make a collection of this type fascinating (and perhaps never-ending!).
