Stamp Desk / Scripts of the world
Ethiopia, 1895 (4 guerche, lion)
A crowned lion carrying a flag, above a shield.
Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
ኢትዮጵያ in Ge’ez letters at the top, above the Lion of Judah: Ethiopia.
- 1ኢትዮጵያ: Ethiopia
- 2Value
- Inscription
- ኢትዮጵያ
- Meaning
- ኢትዮጵያ is Ethiopia, written in the Ge’ez script. The guerche was a coin of the time.
- Issued by
- Ethiopian Empire
- Today
- Ethiopia Flag of Ethiopia
- Year
- 1895. Made in Paris in 1894, used from 1895: Ethiopia’s first stamps.
- Made by
- Jean Lagrange (designer, died 1908); Louis-Eugène Mouchon (engraver, died 1914)
One fact
Ethiopia’s first stamps, issued under Emperor Menelik II, were designed by Jean Lagrange and engraved by Louis-Eugène Mouchon in Paris; the higher values show the Lion of Judah.
Source and public-domain rule
Creators died more than 70 years ago. Designer Jean Lagrange died 1908, engraver Louis-Eugène Mouchon died 1914. The Commons file carries only PD-US. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, counted from 1 January of the year after death. Every named designer and engraver of the stamp died before 1 January 1956; any contributor who was never named counts as anonymous, whose term is 70 years from publication, and the stamp was published before 1956. Legal sources: Directive 2006/116/EC, Art. 1(1) life + 70 years; Art. 1(3) anonymous works 70 years from publication; Art. 7(1) comparison of terms for works from outside the EU; Art. 8 terms run from 1 January, Switzerland, Norway.
Scan: MiET5 1894 4g LionWithFlag.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 774573892), licence templates {{PD-US}} (a public-domain reason different from ours; both are recorded). Downloaded 2026-10-22, sha256 2ca5f4118fe2…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-22 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a second check of these rights by a person is planned, and a stamp that turns out not to be free to use will be removed. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
