By the end of the year, Iranian officials are slated to open four new museums dedicated to the Middle Eastern country’s postal service and philatelic history.
Iran’s postal history dates back to the pre-stamp era, when an ancient system of couriers operated across the Persian empire. Stamps have been issued in present-day Iran since 1851—the same year Canada issued its first stamp, the three-penny “beaver” (Scott #1).
The new museums will display historical covers, rare foreign letters and stamps issued before and after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Iranian collectors will also have the opportunity to consign their rarities for display at the new museums, Hassan Amidi, the CEO of Iran’s Post and Communications Museum, said.
One of the new museums – Rasht’s Post-Museum-School, which opened its doors earlier this year – has an education mandate aiming to teach children about the country’s various communication and media through regular postal-themed courses and classes.
In Canada, the Canadian Postal Museum (formerly the National Postal Museum) closed in November 2012 before reopening two years later as a permanent exhibition at the Canadian Museum of History.