Batum

Batum, or Batumi, is a port city on the Black Sea.
 * Once part of the Ottoman Empire, Batum and its surrounding area was occupied by British forces in December 1918 after the end of World War I. Its first stamps were issued in 1919 showing an aloe tree.
 * It was soon overprinted BRITISH OCCUPATION.
 * Russian stamps were also used provisionally, surcharged in Russian currency with BATUM. ОБ. in two different styles.
 * In 1919-20, stamps were surcharged with ВАТУМ ОБЛАС., ВАТУМ. ОБЛ. or ВАТУМ. ОБс, and BRITISH OCCUPATION.

 File:Batum aloe.jpg|5 kopeck value from the first issue. File:Batum British OCC.jpg|BRITISH OCCUPATION overprint. File:Batum straightline.jpg|Straightline overprint. File:Batum angle.jpg|Angled overprint. File:Batum 50R angled.jpg|Arched overprint. 

Notes for collectors
Forgeries of all issues exist.

Forgeries of the aloe tree stamps are very common. Forgeries have 7 dots over the right value block instead of 6.  File:Batum forged.jpg|Forgery. 

Modern bogus issues
About 1994, bogus stamps in popular topical subjects, in minisheet and souvenir sheet formats, began to appear. They are typically inscribed trilingually using either BATUM or BATUMI.

 File:Batum bogus beatles.jpg|one of the bogus Beatles sheetlets. File:Batum Monroe.jpg|Marilyn Monroe (?) from bogus celebrities sheetlet. 

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