Besa Due

These stamps were used when mail was sent without enough postage. If someone handed an envelop at the post office, they wouldn’t accept it without the correct postage. However, if someone put an envelop in a public mail box, rather than return the envelop to the sender, they would put postage due stamps on the envelop for the deficient amount and deliver it, expecting the recipient to pay the cost of them. If they didn’t pay, only then would the envelop be returned to the sender.

These stamps, the ones in the first set or first two rows, are unique in that they are overprinted with amounts in bese and one in rupia – the local currency. The others are in Italian centesimi and lira.

Note

There’s so many postage due stamps on this page. Usually, these kind of stamps are a little pricey. There weren’t many produced. Of those, not many went unused – even less preserved for eighty to a hundred years.

Contains 32 spots: own 8 – 8 unused, 0 used.
Album or Web Page Last changed Feb 6, 2025

Stamp Details

The table below lists information about the stamps shown on this page of Lighthouse’s stamp album. For more details about a particular stamp, click on its description. That will take you to the related web page of Colnect.

spot

own

catalog

subject

description

comment

Postage Due - Overprint IV

1.1	✓	S33	Postage Due	1b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
1.2	✓	S34	Postage Due	2b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
1.3	✓	S35	Postage Due	3b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
1.4	✓	S36	Postage Due	5b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
2.1	✓	S37	Postage Due	10b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
2.2	✓	S38	Postage Due	20b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
2.3	✓	S39	Postage Due	40b (jul 1923) postage due, orange & black
2.4	✓	S40	Postage Due	1r (jul 1923) postage due, blue & black

Postage Due - Overprint V

3.1	S41	Postage Due	5c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black
3.2	S42	Postage Due	10c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black
3.3	S43	Postage Due	20c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black
3.4	S44	Postage Due	30c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black
4.1	S45	Postage Due	40c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black
4.2	S46	Postage Due	50c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black
4.3	S47	Postage Due	60c (mar 1926) postage due, orange & black

Postage Due

5.1	S48	Postage Due	1₤ (mar 1926) postage due, blue & black
5.2	S49	Postage Due	2₤ (mar 1926) postage due, blue & black
5.3	S50	Postage Due	5₤ (mar 1926) postage due, blue & black
5.4	S51	Postage Due	10₤ (mar 1926) postage due, blue & black

New Postage Due

6.1	S52	Modern Design	5c (may 1934) postage due, brown
6.2	S53	Modern Design	10c (may 1934) postage due, blue
6.3	S54	Modern Design	20c (may 1934) postage due, carmine
7.1	S55	Modern Design	25c (may 1934) postage due, green
7.2	S56	Modern Design	30c (may 1934) postage due, orange
7.3	S57	Modern Design	40c (may 1934) postage due, brownish grey
7.4	S58	Modern Design	50c (may 1934) postage due, violet
7.5	S59	Modern Design	60c (may 1934) postage due, slate blue
8.1	S60	Modern Design	1₤ (may 1934) postage due, orange
8.2	S61	Modern Design	2₤ (may 1934) postage due, green
8.3	S62	Modern Design	5₤ (may 1934) postage due, violet
8.4	S63	Modern Design	10₤ (may 1934) postage due, blue
8.5	S64	Modern Design	20₤ (may 1934) postage due, carmine & reddish rose

Footnotes

Spot refers to the postion of the stamp on the album page (e.g., 3.2 indicates row 3, position 2).
Amt. is an abbreviation for the face amount of the stamp.
Own indicates the stamp status: ✓ for unused; ✗ for used or canceled; ⭑ signifies I ordered one; ; ✨ indicates it was bought recently; ✠ means an auction bid is pending; and ◎ is used, and it costs too much for unused.
To search by catalog number, go to the search box and enter it in the catalog number box. However, it’s a bit broken; I need to fix it.