This amazing collection was sent to us by Dawn Kirwan - it was put together, owned and is being sold by Francie Stull. We thought it so amazing that wanted to keep it together here for everyone to enjoy. This combines many many stamps plus historical facts about some of the countries they came from and much more.

Afghan Hounds have some of the nicest cards and stamps available for any breed

The economy in Russia since the break up of the Soviet Union has such high inflation that stamps that were previously issued are not of enough value to mail a letter any more, so to remedy the situation, the local Post Offices have taken blocks of four "old" printed stamps and overprinted them with a new image and a new value. The Afghan Hound shown on the right above is one of these "Russian Overprints" from Buriatia. These stamps come in a set of five different coloured stamps all with the same overprint. There is no telling how many of the overprints have been produced (not many), since they were never designed to be sold on the world market. They are of value only for a short while until the actual stamps can be printed. On the left is the stamp that was ultimately issued with the Afghan Hound image from the overprint, put out by Abkhazia. There is a second pair for Ingushetia.

Below is the stamp that was ultimately issued with the Afghan Hound image from the overprint, put out by Abkhazia. There is a second pair further down for Ingushetia.

This classic stamp was issued in 1984 by Afghanistan as well and should definitely be a part of any Afghan Hound collection. The background of farming rather than hunting is a bit unusual, but that is what makes these stamps so much fun.

This fascinating portrait was done by Afghanistan as well. It was issued in 1986 and its major value comes from both its ethereal beauty and its rarity.

The country of Afghanistan put out the following two stamps in 1962. At one time, they were really common and our old stand-by for the breed. Now they are increasingly hard to get.

The following is an incredible Afghan Hound stamp from Afghanistan in 2003.
Afghanistan is a mountainous land-locked country located in Central Asia. It has a history and culture that goes back over 5000 years. Throughout its long, splendid, and sometimes chaotic history, this area of the world has been known by various names. In ancient times, its inhabitants called the land Aryana. In the medieval era, it was called Khorrasan, and in modern times, its people have decided to call it Afghanistan. The exact population of Afghanistan is unknown, however, it is estimated to be somewhere around 21-26 million. It is slightly smaller than Texas. They have cold winters and hot summers. Some current issues are limited fresh water resources, inadequate supplies of potable water, overgrazing and de-forestation.The capital is Kabul. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care, problems exacerbated by military operations and political uncertainties.

The collapse of the Soviet Union has created a gold mine for stamp collectors. The local governments have issued some wonderful stamps in an effort to sell them to the world market and not even have to provide the associated service of mailing letters with them. This is a real boon when you see such lovely examples as this stamp below on the left put out by Buriatia in 1999. The one on the right was issued in 1999 as well.

A 2001 stamp also from Buriatia

The next stamp was done by Cambodia in 1990 as part of a set of seven different breeds.. This stamp is cancelled on the first day of issue, June 18, 1990.
Cambodia is located in south eastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. It is slightly smaller than Oklahoma. The climate is tropical, rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April; little seasonal temperature variation. The terrain is mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north. The natural hazards are the monsoonal rains; flooding; occasional droughts. The current issues are illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand. Ethnic groups consist of Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, and others 4%. The languages are the official Khmer 95%, French and English. The government consists of multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy established on September 1993. The capital is Phnom Penh.

Below is the Afghan Hound Republic Congo stamp. The Congo is situated in west central Africa astride the equator. Its area is nearly three times that of Pennsylvania. Most of the inland is tropical rain. It is a dictatorship. After the Portuguese located the Congo River in 1482, commerce was carried on with the tribes, especially the slave trade. During World War II the colony joined Chad in supporting the Free French cause against the Vichy government. The Congo proclaimed its independence without leaving the French Community in 1960, calling itself the Republic of Congo. This stamp was put out in 1994.
 

Afghans are the perfect dog for maximum use of "artistic license". This stamp produced in Czechoslovakia is a beautiful example of extremism in action. This was apparently produced in recognition of an FCI dog show in Prague in 1965.

This unique stamp is from Czechoslovakia and is apparently a painting by D. Housa. It was issued in 1974. Thanks to Ken Berry, we have the story of this interesting stamp. It is an illustration of the painting, "Diana Crowning the Shooting King", 1832, oil on wood, that is owned by the Regional Folklore Museum in Slany, Czechoslovakia. This was a hunting contest that the man kneeling had won. This is probably why the background shows a target with holes in it. A detail of Diana and the dog is to the right. This is not usually contained in Afghan Hound collections because it is listed as an art stamp rather than a dog stamp.

This is a fairly common stamp from Czechloslovakia, although because it has all three breeds, it is collected by fanciers of Irish Wolfhounds and Greyhounds as well, therefore, there are not as many as there would be otherwise.

Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominca's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. It is slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC. The climate is tropical and the terrain has rugged mountains of volcanic origin. It is known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system. The official language is English. The capital is Roseau.
This stamp was produced by the island Commonwealth of Dominica. It was issued in 1997.

This 1977 issue from Equatorial Guinea shows a more typical Afghan Hound from 20 or 30 years ago. It is an actual photo, but is not individually identified. Not my first choice, but definitely necessary for the whole collection. They used to be very common, but are recently harder to get.
Equatorial Guinea is located in Western Africa bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon. The area is slightly smaller than Maryland. The climate is tropical, always hot and humid. The terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic. Natural resources consist of petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium. Natural hazards; violent windstorms and flash floods.

Most of the islands around Scotland are privately owned and have the right to issue their own stamps. If a population lives on the island, the stamps are legal postage for sending mail to the main land. They are not of value for sending it outside of Scotland or back to the island. This is from a set that was issued in 1984 and has never been overly common.

This is a very interesting rendition of an Afghan Hound. Afghans are classic subjects for "artistic license" and this stamp from Ghana is a good example. Ghana is a nation on the western side of Africa, surrounded by the Ivory Coast, Togoland and the Upper Volta. The stamp was issued in 1997 and should stay available for some time.

These two stamps are from the island of Grenada.
Grenada is described as a spice island, for it produces large quantities of cloves and mace and about a third of the world’s nutmeg. It also grows cacao, sugar, bananas and a wide variety of other fruit and vegetables. Some of its beaches, specially Grand Anse, a dazzling two-mile stretch of white sand, are very fine, but the rest of the island is just as beautiful, rising from a generally rugged coast to a spectacular mountainous interior. The island is green, well forested and cultivated and is blessed with plenty of rain in the wet season. Grenada is the most southerly of the Windward Islands. In contrast to other Windward Islands which have had a similar history of disputed ownership between the French and English, the French cultural influence in Grenada has completely died out. The population is very young; 38% are under 15 years old and nearly 26% are in the 15-29 years’ age bracket. Grenada has two dependencies in the Grenadines chain, Carriacou and Petit (often spelt Petite) Martinique.
The impressive head study on the left was issued in 1997. The lovely stamp on the right is also from Grenada. The writing says: Afghan Hound Mazar-I-Sharif Afghanistan. Each of the dog breeds in this set is pictured, with a famous landmark from its country of origin, so in this case, the Mazar-I-Sharif in Afghanistan.

Grenada has two dependencies in the Grenadines chain, Carriacou and Petit (often spelt Petite) Martinique.
The set that this stamps comes from was put out in 1995.

There is a new issue from Guyana. Guyana is a little country which lies on the North Eastern shoulder of South America near the equator. Said to be the legendary El Dorado, Guyana is the only English-speaking country located in South America. The name 'Guyana' is derived from an Amerindian word meaning; land of many waters - and indeed it is a land of many waters- with three mighty rivers and many tributaries, creeks and waterfalls.
Guyana was founded by the British in 1781. It passed for a while to the French, who largely rebuilt it, and in 1784 to the Dutch, who called the capital Stabroek. Regaining control in 1812, the British government renamed it British Guiana. In 1966 it became an independent Guyana. The little emblem in the upper left corner says, "Singapor 1995" so it was probably issued in commemoration of the Year of the Dog.

Hakasia is located in the south of Serbia, next to the Sayan-Altay Mountains and Yenisey River and the the north Altay Republic. Its capital is the city of Abakan. The real name of Hakas people who speak Turkish is Koray people. They are composed of four tribes. Hakasia is devoted to its own language, culture and traditions and there is a university, technical institute, and institutes for linguistic, historical and literary researches in Hakasia. There are also various cultural and artistic institutions, 4 theatres, library and museums as well as music and art schools. Hakas Turks are Christians, but they continue their Shamanist beliefs and traditions. Agriculture, stockbreeding and timber productions are the means of subsistence in the region. Breeding of sheep horses, cattle, and beekeeping are also the significant means of subsistence.
This stamp was issued in 2000.

These two stamps came out as part of a set from Hungary in 1972. Adam Cziglenyi did the original paintings.
Hungary is located in Central europe, northwest of Romania. The climate is temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers. The terrain is mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border. The main religion is Roman Catholic 67.5% and the language is Hungarian 98.2%. The capital is Budapest.

This is the second Russian Overprint (see Abkhazia above.) The overprinted image is printed on a block of four smaller stamps. This group becomes one single stamp with a new denomination on it. Later, the image was printed on a colour stamp officially issued like the one on the left from Ingushetia. These were used simply until they could print new stamps of the right value. For this reason, these overprints will be collector's items very rapidly.
Ingushetia is one of the 21 Russian republics, which are the administrative units with the greatest amount of autonomy within the Russian Federation. It was part of a joint Chechen-Ingush autonomous republic from 1936 until 1991, when Chechnya declared independence and the Ingush separated from the republic. This set of stamps was issued in 1999 with six different breeds.

The Jewish Republic is another local Russian state near Siberia. It issued a set of dog stamps in 1999 as well, including this interesting Afghan Hound.

Kalmykia is a republic within the Russian Federation. The Kalmyks settled the Volga River region in the seventeenth century. A Mongol people, they were originally Buddhist in faith. Annexed to Russian in 1771, a Kalmyk Autonomous Province was created by the Bolsheviks in 1920. This was abolished during the Second World War, when, in common with many other ethnic minorities, the Kalmyks were deemed to have displayed insufficient enthusiasm for fighting for Communism. The customary mass deportations followed. An Autonomous Republic was re-established in 1958. This stamp was issued in 1997.

Karelia (karjala) is again a Russian government issuing stamps. This one is from 1999. Karelia is on the northwest corner of Russia, bordering Finland, which it once belonged to.

This lovely stamp was issued there in 1999.
The Komi Republic is situated in the extreme North-East part of Russia. It is a multinational state, since the population of Komi Republic is estimated at 1.2 million citizen and consists of 100 nationalities. The Komi Republic is now a democratic legal state included into the Russian Federation. The republic has unique stocks of mineral resources thanks to their location, diversity and quality.

Together with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan forms a region known as Central Asia. The area of Kyrgyzstan is almost completely mountainous and is subject to major earthquakes. It declared its independence with the downfall of the Soviet Empire in 1991. The set of stamps that this one comes from was issued in 1999.

Lesotho is a mountainous, landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa. It is very poor, but has recently built a large dam to help it have power and sell water to its neighbor, the Republic of South Africa. Lesotho issued a set of dog stamps that are consistently attractive, including this Afghan Hound.

This stamp was issued from the African island of Madagascar in 1991.
Malagasy, which we know as Madagascar, is an island to the east of Africa.

These two stamps from Monaco really aren't a set, but are issued by the same country. Both are to commemorate the International Dog Show. The one on the left was done in 1978. The one on the right is a more current stamp, issued in 1997 (although this particular stamp has the issue date of October 18, 1996 on the side bar.)
Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. Monaco is located in western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border of Italy. It is about three times the size of The Mall in Washington DC. It has no natural resources and no natural hazards. It is the second smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban with a population of about 31,987. Its official language is French, with English, Italian and Monegasque. It is a constitutional monarchy. Its independence was in 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi). The Chief of State: Prince RAINIER III (since 9 May 1949); Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT Alexandre Louis Pierre, son of the Monarch (born 14 March 1958). There are no elections, the monarchy is hereditary. Monaco does not have an embassy in the US.
 

Nagaland is in Africa. One of the smallest states of the Indian Union, Nagaland is almost unexplored, as far as tourist destinations are concerned. A starkly remote terrain and scenery makes Nagaland, a place worth a visit for those adventurous in spirit. Situated in the north eastern corner of the country, Nagaland is home to myriad tribes and sub tribes. In 1973, they issued an early set of dog stamps, making this the first Afghan stamp that I have found.
This set had about 8 different stamps in it, although this is the only one with a hound on it. The image is an actual photograph, but I don't have any info on the dog himself. It was produced in 1973 but the dog would be just as recognizable today.

The Netherland Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Maarten is shared with France; its northern portion is named Saint Martin and is part of Guadeloupe. This stamp was issued by the Netherlands-Antilles in 1995.

The Netherland Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Maarten is shared with France; its northern portion is named Saint Martin and is part of Guadeloupe. This stamp was issued by the Netherlands-Antilles in 1995.

I love the impish quality in this artistic Afghan head study from Poland. The artwork was done by J. Grabianski and the stamp was issued in 1968.
Poland is located in Central Europe, east of Germany and is slightly smaller than New Mexico. Climate is temperate with cold, windy, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms. The terrain is mostly flat plain; mountains along the southern border; Natural resources consist of coal, sulphur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, and arable land. Natural hazard of the area is flooding. The situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by postcommunist governments. Historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain.

This stamp was produced in 1990 to commemorate the World Show for that year, the Expozitia Mondiala Canina. This is a classic and the stamp that many Afghan Hound owners start their collections with.
Romania is located in South Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea. between Bulgaria and Ukraine. It is slightly smaller than Oregon. The climate is temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog, sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms. They have the following resources petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron, ore, salt, arable land, hydropower. They also have natural hazards of earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; Geologic structure and climate promote landslides. Environment current issues include soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; the capital is Bucharest.

This comes from the first set of dogs stamps that Sahara issued, in 1992. They did a fabulous job with them. I wish that I knew who the artist was that did such an outstanding job of capturing this lovely Afghan Hound as well as the other breeds in the set.
In 1976 the Saharawi people declared their independence from Spanish rule and set up the Republic of Saharawi for self-determination. It has been a very rocky road.

The Sahara put a set of stamps out in 1995 that contained six sighthounds. In addition to the Afghan Hound, there is a Borzoi, Greyhound, Whippet, Saluki and Irish Wolfhound. Each was nicer than the next and the Afghan was one of the best.

St. Vincent is one of the Caribbean Islands. Caribs were the first inhabitants of St. Vincent. Columbus marked the presence of the island on his third voyage in 1498, but didn't go ashore. The Caribs were tenacious, keeping the European conquistadors at bay longer than on any other island.
In 1787, Captain William Bligh set sail from England on the Bounty, bound for Tahiti. The purpose of the voyage, which ended in mutiny, was to collect breadfruit plants and transport them to St. Vincent for use as food for slaves. In 1793 Bligh eventually arrived in St. Vincent on another ship loaded with breadfruit seedlings. The fruit would make the island famous. To this day, bananas are the main export from the island.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines achieved independence in 1979. The islands have produced many stamps over the years, including this Afghan.
This series was not really produced for the dog on the stamp, but to honor "Leaders of the World", in this case the artist Gyula L. Vasarhelyi, so it is not always listed as a dog stamp, but an art stamp instead.

San Marino is a republic in southern Europe, an enclave in northern Italy, east of Florence. San Marino is one of the smallest republics in the world. This stamp was issued in 1994. It says that it is for the International Dog Exposition, but that was also the Year of the Dog, so it might have had a dual purpose.

This lovely headstudy is from Tanzania. Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, is renowned for its magnificent wildlife, lakes, mountains, and scenery. The country boasts a wealth of natural attractions, including the famed Ngorongoro crater and the formidable Mount Kilimanjaro. It is also home to magnificent game reserves: Gombe Stream National Park, with its chimpanzee sanctuary; and the breathtaking plains of the Serengeti National Park, which hosts the annual migration of at least two million wildebeest with leopards and lions hot on their heels. Add to this the lovely beaches of the exotic islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia. Tanzania put out a large 3-sheet collection of dog stamps in 1994, which was the Year of the Dog and produced many of our more unusual dog stamps.

Touva (often spelled Tuva) is a country in the southern area of Siberia. It's a unique place with the landscapes ranging from the desert to the perma frost, and local fauna-from camels to reindeers. Touva is known as almost the only place in the world where shamanism, a very ancient religion, is preserved, kept and cultivated in its original form. They issued a lovely set of dog stamps in 1999.

Unfortunately we have no information on who the pretty domino Afghan Hound is in the photo. The stamp was produced in 1999.
Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive Hudrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. Turkmenistan is on the east side of the Caspian Sea, just above Iran. It is slightly larger than California in size. Its terrain is flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west. The religion is Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%. The capital is Ashgabsat.

This neat stamp from Uganda shows a totally different "type" of Afghan Hound from nearly any other stamp. I believe that it was issued in 1996.. It is my understanding that this picture was taken from a famous photo of Mahabat. Ch. Majara Mahabat was one of the big winners of the late '40's early '50s. He was very different from what had gone before, and was the start of the "coat factories". He apparently had way more coat than previously seen, and it was of a much more cotton-y texture, so stood off the body making it look like even more coat. He was a long low dog, unlike those before, and at least for a period afterwards.

 

A truly unique addition to any collection, this is considered a "Ukrainian Local". It is a non-perf (meaning that it does not have perforations along the sides for tearing the stamps apart), the edges are smooth cut. This came in a set of 6 breeds, with the Afghan being the most expensive denomination. I do not have an issuing date for these, but they are recent.

Umm Al Qiwain is one of the United Arab Emirates. I am not sure of the significance of pairing the Afghan with the Siamese cat, but others in the set were always a dog and cat together. This is an odd stamp and not the best to choose to represent Afghans, but it definitely deserves to be in any Afghan Hound collection.

This stamp is probably taken from a photograph, but there is no indication of who the model was. The stamp is from The Mutawakelite Kingdom of Yemen, also one of the United Arab Emirates.

Zaire in Africa recently issued a set of headstudies that are quite attractive, with strong design work.

AFGHAN HOUND ENVELOPES AND STAMPS

Romania is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea. between Bulgaria and Ukraine. It is slightly smaller than Oregon. The climate is temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog, sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms. They have the following resources petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron, ore, salt, arable land, hydropower. They also have natural hazards of earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; Geologic structure and climate promote landslides. Environment current issues include soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; the capital is Bucharest.

Afghan Hound Souvenir and Mini Sheets

This souvenir sheet was issued in 1973 by Afghanistan. It is incredibly rare. I have one copy and it is not mounted. The stamps on the souvenir sheet are un-perforated. There is a slight crease in the upper left corner, but it has never been hinged. The leopard, Tibetan bears and gazelle are beautifully done. This could certainly be the centre of any Afghan Hound stamp collection.

This is a Souvenir Sheet that was issued along with the above stamps shown near the top of the page. There are two of these souvenir sheets, both are unperforated. The other one has the two Afghan Hounds in pink and green instead of the blue and green-gray. I have seen only the two that I have used for the scan. It has been years since I have found individual stamps from this more expensive souvenir sheet. They are not commonly available.
 

An incredible souvenir sheet of the Afghan Hound also from Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a mountainous land-locked country located in Central Asia. It has a history and culture that goes back over 5000 years. Throughout its long, splendid, and sometimes chaotic history, this area of the world has been known by various names. In ancient times, its inhabitants called the land Aryana. In the medieval era, it was called Khorasan, and in modern times, its people have decided to call it Afghanistan. The exact population of Afghanistan is unknown, however, it is estimated to be somewhere around 21-26 million. It is slightly smaller than Texas. They have cold winters and hot summers. Some current issues are limited fresh water resources, inadequate supplies of potable water, overgrazing and deforestation.The capital is Kabul. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care, problems exacerbated by military operations and political uncertainties.

A beautiful artist's rendition of the lovely Afghan Hound issued by Gambia.
The Gambia is a long and narrow country in West Africa that parallels and takes in both sides of the Gambia River. It is surrounded by Senegal on all sides, except on the Atlantic coast, and for this reason the two countries have a lot of ethnic and cultural ties. In contrast to Senegal, a former French colony, The Gambia was colonized by Britain and gained its Independence on February 18, 1965.

Guyana is a little country, which lies on the North Eastern shoulder of South America near the equator. Said to be the legendary El Dorado, Guyana is the only English-speaking country located in South America. The name 'Guyana' is derived from an Amerindian word meaning; land of many waters - and indeed it is a land of many waters- with three mighty rivers and many tributaries, creeks and waterfalls.

This awesome minisheet of six Afghan Hounds was issued by the Jewish Republic in Russia in 1999.
The Jewish Republic is another Russian state near Siberia.

Somalia, also called the Somali Democratic Republic, is located on the Horn of Africa, the easternmost part of the African continent. Although it gained its independence in 1960, nearly constant unrest has kept it from establishing a lasting presence in the area.

The Togolese Republic is in West Africa, bordered by Ghana and Benin. This souvenir sheet was issued in 1999.

Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive Hudrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. Turkmenistan is on the east side of the Caspian Sea, just above Iran. It is slightly larger than California in size. Its terrain is flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west. The religion is Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%. The capital is Ashgabsat.
This is probably one of the most amazing mini sheets ever produced. There are eighteen breeds represented and they have managed to run a perforation line through every one. My! what an accomplishment.

This gorgeous stamp is from the island of St. Vincent in 1994. The full souvenir sheet is 4 inches by 4 inches but the actual stamp is only the center head study.