Sandafayre Stamp Auctions | Stamp Atlas

Guadeloupe

FIRST STAMPS France from 1851 and French Colonies General Issues from 1859. These can be recognized by the postmarks, including a lozenge of dots with the letters GRE.
FIRST STAMPS ISSUED 20 November 1876.

CURRENCY
As France.

Discovered by Columbus in 1493, the French took possession in 1635 and colonized it in 1674. It was taken by the British in 1759, but returned in 1763. It was occupied again in 1779, 1794, and in 1810. It was offered as a colony to Sweden to encourage them to join the coalition against France but was returned to France again in 1814. It was seized once more in August 1815 but finally became French in July 1816. During their later occupations the British operated the island PG.

Handstamps are known from 1780 and datestamps from 1843, but there was no regular inland service until 1849.

During World War II the island sided with de Gaulle and used Free French stamps during 1940-4. It became an overseas departement of France on 19 March 1946 and has used the stamps of France since 1947.