This postage stamp (= Michel Catalog # 362) was issued in 1970 by Manama, a town in the eastern Arabian Peninsula (not the city in Bahrain - that's a different "Manama"). Manama is part of Ajman, a country / emirate / sheikdom / Trucial State / confederation. On the stamp itself, Manama is considered a "Dependency of Ajman". In modern times, Ajman and Manama are part of the "U.A.E." = the United Arab Emirates. Manama formerly issued postage stamps. The stamps were created specifically to be sold to non-domestic stamp collectors to raise money ("revenue"). They were not even printed in the areas that bear their names. As such, they are not really postage stamps - they were not sold from Ajman post offices and not used on their mail. Many depict subjects or topics completely non-related to the home country (such as the example seen here). Serious stamp collectors collectively call these non-stamps "Dunes" or "Trucials" and consider them worthless. There's reportedly been renewed interest in Trucial stamps in recent years.
This is one of eight Manama stamps in a set depicting flower paintings by Jan Bruegel.
The stamp has a cancellation, but it was printed atop the stamp in the factory. Stamps with such fake cancellations are called "CTO" - "cancelled to order". They were never affixed to a cover and were never used in the mail.
Loading contexts...
