Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a country in the Balkans on the Black Sea.  File:Bulgaria lion.jpg|1879 5c lion File:Bulgaria cannon.jpg|1901 independendence File:Bul 1902 15st Shipka.webp|1902 15st Shipka Pass File:Bulgaria two heads.jpg|1907 20th anniversary, showing stylized lettering File:Bulgaria wedding.jpg|1920 royal wedding stamp. Note the highly stylized country name File:Bulgaria king.jpg|1911 Tsar Ferdinand definitive File:Bul 1927 10L air.webp|1927 10L airmail overprint File:Bul 1931 12L air.webp|1931 12L airmail. Note air mail inscription. File:Bul 1932 18L Rila air.webp|1932 18L Rila Monastery air File:Bul 1938 15c ag.webp|1938 15st Nationa Products File:Bul 1940 4L air.webp|1940 4L airmail. Note airmail inscription. 
 * Previously part of the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria was made an autonomous principality in 1878. Its first stamps followed in 1879 with the design of a lion rampant. They were inscribed БЪЛГАРСКА ПОЩА.
 * The 15 stotinki on 30 stotinki surcharge of 1892 and the 01 on 2st surcharge of 1895 have been forged.
 * In 1901, an independence set featuring a cannon was issued. Forgeries exist perf 13 instead of 12¼.
 * In 1902, a Battle of Shipka Pass set was issued. It is very common forged. Genuine have cleanly defined solid and dotted shading lines on the rock faces, where the forgeries have thin and rather sketchy lines.
 * Beginning in 1910, stamps were inscribed БЪЛГАРНЯ, often in highly stylized lettering.
 * In 1927, four contemporary definitives were overprinted with a high-wing monoplane in profile (airplane to most of you) for use as airmails. This included a 1L on 6L value with airplane pointed up; it is not an error. The airplane is inscribed ВЪЗДУШНА ПОЩА ("airmail"), but this is often partly or completely filled in.
 * In 1931, a woman and dove design was issued as airmails with additional inscription . These have been crudely/badly forged.
 * Four values in new colors were issued in 1938 and have been similarly forged.
 * In 1932, designs of an airplane over Rila Monastery were issued. These were airmails with no indication other than having an airplane in the design. These were usable for only 12 days. Forgeries are lithographed instead of typographed and are perf 10½ in stead of 11½.
 * Beginning in 1937, stamps were inscribed ЦАРСТВО БЪЛГАРНЯ.
 * The 1938 National Products issue was inscribed BULGARIE and БЪЛГАРНЯ.


 * Beginning in 1945, stamps were inscribed БЪЛГАРНЯ, sometimes with alternating values in a set inscribed BULGARIA.
 * In 1945, three different airplane designs with О.Ф. were overprinted or surcharged on various stamps for use as airmails.
 * About this time, imperfs began to be issued, though not always of full sets at first. CTO stamps sold at deep discount to the stamp trade also made their first appearance.
 * In 1947, the inscription became РЕПУБЛИКА БЪЛГАРНЯ or НАРОДНА РЕПУБЛИКА БЪЛГАРНЯ.
 * By 1949, this had become abbreviated to Н.Р. БЪЛГАРНЯ or НР БЪЛГАРНЯ with some values in Latin lettering as N.R. BULGARIA.
 * By the 1960s, some sets alternated Cyrillic and Latin inscriptions on its stamps.
 * Beginning about 1989, issues were inscribed bilingually, БЪЛГАРНЯ and BULGARIA.

 File:Bul 1945 end WWII.webp|1945 10L end of World War II File:Bul 1L OF airm.webp|1945 1L airmail. there are three overprint/surcharge designs File:Bul 1945 75 on 100 air.webp|1945 75L on 100L air File:Bulgaria flower A.jpg|From the 1966 flowers issue File:Bulg 20st flower B.webp|From the same set as at left, but with Latin lettering. File:Bul 1989 bats.webp|from the 1988 bats set. File:Bul 2021 Dosto.webp|2021 Dostoevsky 