 Tonga

The first Tongan stamps were issued in 1886 featuring the portrait of King George Tupou I. In the classical period the stamps issued by Tonga all feature the portraits of the successive monarchs, with the exception of a set of pictorials issued in 1897. The country designation was either ‘Toga' or ‘Tonga’. In the modern period Tonga was one of the first countries to experiment with self adhesive stamps embossed on foil in a range of different shapes. Stamps of this type were issued between 1963 and the late 1970’s. Overall, in the modern period, Tonga has issued stamps with themes of national interest and a significant number with themes of interest for the thematic collectors market. [source: StampWorldHistory]