Look for unlisted 1958 Syria UAR souvenir sheet

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

On Feb. 1, 1958, Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser proclaimed the creation of the United Arab Republic with the ultimate goal of full governmental union between Egypt and Syria.

On Sept. 28, 1961, Syrian army officers overthrew the Syrian government and withdrew the country from the United Arab Republic. Egypt continued to call itself the United Arab Republic until 1971 when it reverted to its present official name, the Arab Republic of Egypt.

During the period of the union, both Egypt and Syria issued postage stamps inscribed “United Arab Republic” or “UAR,” often with common designs. An easy way to distinguish Egyptian issues from Syrian issues is the Egyptian stamps are denominated in milliemes and the Syrian stamps are denominated in piasters.

In the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Egyptian issues are numbered in sequence with the rest of the country’s stamps, while Syrian issues are listed following the regular Syrian stamps and have their own numbering sequence.

The first United Arab Republic issue of both countries used a common design depicting a map of part of the Middle East with Egypt and Syria linked by a crescent bearing an inscription in Arabic.

Syria issued two stamps with this design: a 12½p yellow and green postage stamp (Scott 1) and a 17½p ultramarine and brown airmail stamp (C1). The Syrian United Arab Republic also issued an imperforate souvenir sheet of two with both stamps, but the souvenir sheet is not listed, noted or valued in the 2020 Scott Standard catalog.

This souvenir sheet is popular with collectors of both Syria and the United Arab Republic and is a good buy in mint never-hinged condition in the $20-to-$25 price range.

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