Kingdom of Yemen
Stamps: 1926 to 1948

1926
Definitives

Domestic Postage Only

• 2 1/2 b. - black on white
• 2 1/2 b. - black with orange wash on white
• 5 b. - black on white

Please note: A 5 b. - black with orange wash on white - was reported by Bruce Condé.

1 January 1930
Definitives

• 1 b. - blue-green
• 2 b. - olive-green
• 4 b. - vermilion
• 6 b. - blue
• 10 b. - brown
• 1 i. - blue and red-brown

1931
Definitives

• 1/2 b. - orange-yellow
• 1 b. - sage-green
• 2 b. - brown
• 3 b. - lilac
• 4 b. - carmine
• 5 b. - slate-grey
• 6 b. - ultramarine
• 8 b. - claret
• 10 b. - orange-brown
• 20 b. - sage-green
• 1 i. - sage-green and claret

28 April 1939
Second Anniversary of Arab Alliance

• 4 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 6 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 10 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 14 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 20 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 1 i. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq

Note: FDCs are known with a cancel date 28 April 1937. It is not known whether First Day covers with this date are bogus, were officially sanctioned cancels, or were just errors by the Muslim postal staff in calculating the equivalent Christian era date.

1939
Provisional

• 4 b. - 1/2 b. from the 1931 Definitive series overprinted with Yemen in English and with Yemen Postage and 4 in Arabic, all inside a rectangular frame measuring 11 1/2 x 16 mm.

1 January 1940
Definitives

• 1/2 b. - blue and orange
• 1 b. - scarlet and green
• 2 b. - violet and bistre
• 3 b. - blue and mauve
• 4 b. - yellow-green and carmine
• 5 b. - bistre and slate-green
• 6 b. - orange and blue
• 8 b. - blue and claret
• 10 b. - olive-green and orange
• 14 b. - violet and olive-green
• 18 b. - black and green
• 20 b. - claret and yellow-green
• 1 i. - scarlet, olive-green and claret

Note: The 5 b. was prepared in 1940 but was released only in 1957 and served as a 4 b. issue without surcharge.

1942
Definitives

Postage Due

• 1 b. - olive-green and orange
• 2 b. - olive-green and orange
• 4 b. - olive-green and orange
• 6 b. - blue and orange
• 8 b. - blue and orange
• 10 b. - blue and orange
• 12 b. - blue and orange
• 20 b. - blue and orange

Note: Although this set is inscribed TAXE A PERCEVOIR (Postage due), the set was used as ordinary postage because there was no postage due system in Yemen at the time.

1945
Provisional

• 4 b. - 1/2 b. from the 1940 Definitive series overprinted with Yemen in English and with Yemen Postage and 4 in Arabic, all inside a rectangular frame measuring 11.5 x 16 mm

1946
Opening of Mutawakilli Hospital

• 4 b. - black and green
• 6 b. - rose and green
• 10 b. - blue and green
• 14 b. - olive and green

1946
Provisional

• 4 b. - 5 b. of the 1940 Definitive series overprinted with Yemen in English and with Yemen Postage and 4 in Arabic, all inside a rectangular frame measuring 11 1/2 x 16 mm.

1947
Definitives

Postage

• 1/2 b. - Coffee plant
• 1 b. - Coffee plant
• 2 b. - Coffee plant
• 4 b. - Palace in Sana'a
• 5 b. - Palace in Sana'a
• 6 b. - Coffee plant
  Note: The 6 b. issue was prepared in 1947 but was released in June 1958.
  Air Mail
  
• 10 b. - Airplane and view of Sana'a
• 20 b. - Airplane and view of Sana'a
  Note: The following were prepared but not issued.
• 10 b. - Stars and sword as on Yemen's flag and view of the Imam's palace
• 20 b. - Stars and sword as on Yemen's flag and view of the Imam's palace
• 1 i. - Views of the Imam's palace

2 July 1947
Commemorating the trip taken by Prince Abdullah bin Yahya to New York City, United States as the first Yemeni ambassador to the United Nations
The 1939 Arab Alliance issue was overprinted either in red or in black with a two-line inscription SANA'A-NEW YORK / PAR AVION at the bottom, an airplane in the middle and an Arabic inscription at the top. Neither printing of this set was released officially.

Air Mail

• 4 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 6 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 10 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 14 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 20 b. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 1 i. - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq

Note: These air mail issues as well as all other issues overprinted Par Avion in 1947 were sold at 1 imadi (the air mail rate to the United States) regardless of the face value.

2 July 1947
The 1946 Hospital issue was overprinted in either in red or in black with a two-line inscription SANA'A-NEW YORK / PAR AVION at the bottom, an airplane in the middle and an Arabic inscription at the top. Neither the red nor the black printing of this set was released officially.

Air Mail

• 4 b. - black and green
• 6 b. - rose and green
• 10 b. - blue and green
• 14 b. - olive and green

2 July 1947
The 1940 definitive series was overprinted initially in red with an airplane, two-line SAN'A-NEW YORK / PAR AVION and with the equivalent Arabic inscription at the top between wavy lines on the right and left sides of the stamps that also covered the original values. A second printing was in black. This set was not released officially. The stamps may have been sold at a rate of 1 imadi per stamp.

Air Mail

• 6 b. - orange and blue
• 8 b. - blue and claret
• 14 b. - violet and olive-green
• 18 b. - black and green
• 20 b. - claret and yellow-green
• 1 i. - scarlet, olive-green and claret

20 September 1948
Yemen's admission to the United Nations
The 1 b., 2 b., 4 b., and the 10 b. of the Postage issues were released officially for use mainly by overseas collectors.I have seen the 1 b. on cover used locally. The rest of this series does not seem to have been released officially.

Postage

• 1/2 b. - View of Prince Abdullah bin Yahya reading - blue and black
• 1 b. - Flag of Yemen and flags of other countries - blue and red
• 2 b. - Airplane at Sana'a airport and Yemenis - orange and black
• 4 b. - Flag of Yemen and flags of other countries - rose and blue
• 6 b. - Prince Abdullah addressing the United Nations assembly - green and black
• 10 b. - Airplane at Sana'a airport and Yemenis - rose-lilac and black
• 12 b. - Prince Abdullah meeting President Truman - brown and black
• 20 b. - Wall and gate of Sana'a with plane overhead - olive and black
• 30 b. - Winston Churchill and President Truman - blue and black
• 1 i. - Statue of Liberty and view of New York - orange, red and black
  Air Mail
  
• 10 b. - Airplane at Sana'a airport and Yemenis - green and lilac
• 12 b. - Prince Abdullah meeting President Truman - blue and lilac
• 20 b. - Wall and gate of Sana'a with plane overhead - brown and lilac
• 30 b. - Winston Churchill and President Truman - orange and lilac
• 1 i. - Statue of Liberty and view of New York - green, red and lilac
  Postage Due
  
• 1/2 b. - View of Prince Abdullah bin Yahya reading - red and blue
• 1 b. - Flag of Yemen and flags of other countries - blue and red
• 2 b. - Airplane at Sana'a airport and Yemenis - blue and brown
• 4 b. - Flag of Yemen and flags of other countries - red and blue
• 6 b. - Prince Abdullah addressing the United Nations assembly - orange and brown.

Note: "Taxe a Percevoir" was applied as an overprint. The 1/2 b., 2 b., and 6 b. values are known with the overprint missing. One can differentiate these values from the regular postage issues by the colours of the stamps.

1948(?)
Commemorating a visit to President Harry S Truman
The 1946 Mutawakilli Hospital series was overprinted in Arabic and French with the Arabic equivalent at top and VISITE AU / PRESIDENT / H.S. TRUMAN. The 4 b. and 6 b. were further overprinted with 1 and 2 imadis respectively. The top 10 stamps in the sheet of the 4 b. issue were additionally overprinted with AVION. The overprints were either black or red. This set was not released officially.

Postage

• 10 b. - blue and green - black overprint
• 14 b. - olive and green - black overprint
• 1 imadi on 4 b. - black and green - red overprint
• 2 imadis on 6 b. - rose and green - black overprint
  
Air Mail

• 1 imadi on 4 b. - black and green - red overprint

Values of the 1931 Definitive series were overprinted in Arabic and French with the Arabic equivalent at top and with VISITE AU / PRESIDENT / H.S. TRUMAN / AVION. The overprints were in blue or red. This set was not released officially.

Air Mail

• 1 imadi on 6 b. - ultramarine - red overprint
• 2 imadis on 6 b. - ultramarine - red overprint
• 3 imadis on 6 b. - ultramarine - red overprint
• 2 imadis on 8 b. - claret - blue overprint
• 2 imadis on 10 b. - orange-brown - blue overprint

Air Mail

• 1 imadi - Flags of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq - black overprint

1948(?)
Commemorating the Accession of Imam Ahmad
The 1/2 b. issue of the 1931 Definitive series, the 5 b. issue of the 1940 Definitive series and the 1 b., 2 b. and 4 b. issues of the 1942 Postage Dues series were overprinted sideways in black. The new value is at the top, the equivalent Arabic inscription in the next line, ROI IMAM AHMAD - 1948 in the third line and either the Sword of Ali and five stars or an airplane in the fourth. These soverprinted stamps were not released officially.

Postage
1931 Definitive series

• 1 imadi on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow
• 2 imadis on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow
• 3 imadis on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow

Airmail
1931 Definitive series

• 1 imadi on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow
• 2 imadis on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow

1931 Definitive series

• 1 imadi on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow
• 2 imadis on 1/2 b. - orange-yellow

1940 Definitive series

• 3 imadis on 5 b. - bistre and slate-green

1942 Postage Due series

• 1 imadi on 4 b. - olive-green and orange
• 2 imadis on 1 b. - olive-green and orange
• 3 imadis on 2 b. - olive-green and orange

1948
Provisionals

• 4 b. - 1 b. issue of the 1940 Definitive series overprinted with Yemen in English and with Yemen Postage and 4 in Arabic, all inside a rectangular frame measuring 11 1/2 x 16 mm.
• 4 b. - 2 b. issue of the 1940 Definitive series overprinted with Yemen in English and with Yemen Postage and 4 in Arabic, all inside a rectangular frame measuring 11 1/2 x 16 mm.
• 4 b. - 3 b. issue of the 1940 Definitive series overprinted with Yemen in English and with Yemen Postage and 4 in Arabic, all inside a rectangular frame measuring 11 1/2 x 16 mm.

Index | 1926-1948 | 1949-1959 | 1960-1962