Nossi-Bé
Quick reference
General issues: French colony 1889-1894
Country name on general issues: -, NSB, Nossi-Bé
Currency: 1 Franc = 100 Centimes 1889-1894
Population: 3 400 in 1904
Political history Nossi-Bé
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Nossi-Bé[1]Currently called Nosy Be. is a small island off the western coast of Madagascar in eastern Africa. Nossi-Bé is – together with a few even smaller neighboring islands – ceded to France to become a French colony in 1841. In the course of the 19th century, Nossi-Bé is administered as a separate colony and as a dependency from Réunion, Mayotte and Diego-Suarez. Once Madagascar has become a French colony, Nossi-Bé, in 1898, is annexed to Madagascar – which it is until today. Nossi-Bé currently is the most popular tourist destination of Madagascar.
Postal history Nossi-Bé
1894 – Standard Navigation & Commerce design for the French colonies
The first stamps used on Nossi-Bé are, from 1864, the general issues for the French colonies. Stamps are issued for Nossi-Bé from 1889 to 1894. The first issue is an overprint on the general issues for the French colonies – the overprint being only a new face value. Subsequent issues – also overprints on the general issues for the French colonies – include the name of the island – either as ‘NSB’ or as ‘Nossi-Bé’. In 1894, a set of definitives is issued – stamps of the standard Navigation & Commerce design for the French colonies. Concurrent with the issues for Nossi-Bé, the issues for Diego-Suarez are known to be used on Nossi-Bé. The stamps of Nossi-Bé are, from 1898, superseded by the issues of Madagascar.
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