West Africa Study Circle

The West Africa Study Circle, formed in 1950, is the international specialist society for the study of stamps, postal stationery and postal history of West Africa. It originated from small specialist groups which already existed and has undergone several expansions of scope.

The following philatelic areas are the ones covered in the most depth. The map shows where they are. From there, or from these links, you will find brief introductions to each area:

Ascension / Tristan da Cunha / Gough Is. Cameroons
Gambia Gold Coast / Ghana
Nigeria St Helena
Sierra Leone Togo
Additionally, several other areas are also included: British Postal Agencies on Madeira, Tenerife. St Vincent (Cape Verde Islands) and Fernando Po; airmails and sea-mails throughout the region.

Study dates from the earliest times and includes military campaigns, maritime, censorship and airmails.

There is an introductory article to the philatelic history of the Gambia (by Oliver Andrew). Further articles will follow.

If you wish to contact the Study Circle for information which does not appear on the site, please use this email address (remove spaces): wasc @ frankwalton. com

New in September 2010
A new edition is just published of "Sierra Leone Registration", previously produced in 1994 and now edited by Walton and Quirk. This 48-page book lists all registered stationery, registered datestamps, village rubber handstamps and blue registration labels. Earliest and latest dates of use are provided for each of these categories. An order form is available here and it is added to our Publications page.

Also newly available is a searchable spreadsheet of Nigerian town and village names created by member Graeme Murray from our publication "The Cancellations and Postmarks of Nigeria 1914-1980" by Neville Jones. Graeme retains the copyright to the spreadsheet but he is making it freely available to members. It will assist you in identifying offices when only a part of the cancellation is legible. There is also a document listing in text form all the offices in the book.

The booklist was updated in September 2010.

Congratulations to several WASC members who gained awards at the London 2010 International Exhibition. Those exhibits with direct links to West Africa were:

Peter Hørlyck, Large Vermeil for Nigeria Postal Stationery
Philip Levine, Large Vermeil for Gold Coast Postal Stationery
Ted Proud, Large Vermeil for his publication "Intercontinental Airmails"
Frank Walton, Large Gold for Sierra Leone.

Details of meetings were updated in March 2010.

An index to Cameo, all volumes 1-10, has a link from the Publications page.

last updated: 05 September 2010