Bulgaria Creates Digital Gallery Tracing 145 Years of Stamp History
Jerusalem, 24 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – The Ministry of Transport and Communications has compiled an electronic catalog of Bulgaria’s history of stamp issuance from 1879 to the present. Over 5,800 original postage stamps have been digitized to date in the specially created philatelic digital gallery, the press center of the department announced.
The announcement states that the catalog presents information about each issue, including authors, themes and plots, dates of issue, circulations and technical characteristics. It also includes data on varieties, curiosities and samples of interest to philatelists, researchers and the general public.
The Ministry adds that in the 1930s, with the development of the philatelic movement in Bulgaria, thematic philately emerged, which became a kind of encyclopedia of the historical development of the Third Bulgarian State.
Among the stamps presented in the catalog is the first postage stamp in the world with the theme of “Chess”, which is Bulgarian. It was put into use on September 29, 1947 as part of the “Balkan Games” series. Its designer is artist Stefan Kanchev, who created the largest number of Bulgarian postage stamps.
Other notable artists who designed Bulgarian postage stamps are Boris Angelushev, Dechko Uzunov, Lyuben Zidarov, Alexander Poplilov, Veselin Staykov and others.
The electronic catalog was created on the basis of decades of research work and is a reference book and research resource for the Bulgarian philatelic heritage, the department said. The postage stamp is also presented as a kind of document of the time, reflecting the history, culture, science, nature and spiritual values of Bulgaria.
The Philatelic Gallery contributes to the preservation and promotion of the national heritage and provides easy access to information on the development of Bulgarian stamp issuing.
