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For the past 16 years, Pridnestrovie has issued its own postage stamps. Its own domestic mail system has functioned since 1991

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - The history of stamps is the history of statehood. Under this slogan, the Tiraspol Picture Gallery threw its doors open this week to a stamp exhibition which covers the postal history of Pridnestrovie. The unrecognized country issuing its first-ever stamp in 1991, one years after declaring independence.

On the exhibition, visitors can see a complete collection of the stamps issued by PMR Post. The organizers announced that the displays outline the history of the country as shown on stamps.

During the history of Pridnestrovie as a stamp-issuing state, numerous issues have been dedicated to the founder of Tiraspol, A.V. Suvorov, and to the 205th and and 215th anniversary of the capital's existence. Other stamps depict churches throughout the republic, local animals, and a series which depicts the coat of arms of major towns and cities in Pridnestrovie.

16 years of postal history

For more than 16 years, the government of Pridnestrovie has maintained the country's only fully functioning postal service, issuing its own postage stamps and handling daily mail delivery throughout the nation.

Pridnestrovie (also known informally as Transnistria) declared its independence on September 2, 1990, and issued its first stamp in March of 1991. Since then it has typically issued between 3 and 5 different series of stamps per year. The country's name is usually given only in Cyrillic, as 'ПМР', although sometimes the Latin letters PMR are seen instead. There is no consistent practice, with some stamps only inscribed in Cyrillic and others only in Latin.

The PMR post offices are the only national post offices in the country. No other country or entity is in charge of any sort of mail delivery in Pridnestrovie. However, as in any other modern country, there are of course private services such as FedEx and DHL who make international pickups and deliveries throughout Pridnestrovie.

Online stamp directory

Pridnestrovie has an efficient postal service. Every year, new stamps are issued celebrating the nation and its achievements. Pridnestrovie's postage stamps are even finding their way to stamp collectors specializing in European stamps.

As in some other post-Soviet nations, illegal stamp issues have been a problem for the country for several years, with private persons printing labels resembling legitimate PMR stamps, and selling them to unsuspecting collectors.

An online stamp catalog, www.PMRstamps.com, lists legitimate issues and helps identify frauds.

Within the country itself, our postage stamps are sold locally from any of the government-run post offices. Internationally, they can be found from certain stamp collectors and sometimes also on online auction site Ebay.

On the web:
» www.PMRstamps.com [1]