Malek Stamp Museum Collection, Most Complete in Middle East
The Tehran museum houses about 48,000 stamp series, of which only 2300 are being exhibited due to lack of space.
The museum's displays inform visitors about the history of the postal industry in Iran and the world.
The world's first stamp was proposed and designed by Sir Ronald Hill in Britain. The British Parliament approved the proposal and the stamp was issued on May 6, 1840. It bore a portrait of Queen Victoria and was called a Black Penny.
Eventually, all the countries of the world started issuing stamps.
Stamps depict the cultures, traditions and arts of nations.
The curator of the Malek Stamp Museum, Fuzi Ghaffari Nour, said that the Malek stamp collection consists of 2300 stamp series.
He added that the Malek Stamp Collection contains the entire stamp series of Iran from the first Iranian stamps issued. They are arranged in four periods: Qajar period, First and Second Pahlavi periods, and Islamic Republic of Iran period.
He added that the museum has many unique stamps that can not be found anywhere else.
He said that the first Iranian stamp was issued in 1868 on the order of Nassereddin Shah at the suggestion of his chancellor, Amir-Kabir.
He added that the king sent a delegation to France, which commissioned Albert Bar to design the first Iranian stamp.
Distribution of this series of stamps, named the Baqeri Series, was prohibited for unknown reasons but the series was finally issued two years later, he said.
He added that 1530 stamps have been issued in Iran, including revolutionary stamps bearing the portraits of Mirza Kouchak Khan, Sattar Khan, Sheikh Mohammad Khiabani, Ayatollah Mojtahedzadeh.
He mentioned that stamps which were issued illegally in Bushehr by the British government are also on display at the museum.
He said that the first seminar on stamps in Iran was held in 1997.