Quantity Issued: Unknown, Believed to be Limited to the Number of Officials Attending the Inauguration Ceremony

Designer: Stephan Papazian

Perforations: 12.5X12.5

Printer: Stamps - Institut de Gravure, Paris, France; Overprint - Unknown

Printing Process: Recess; Overprint - Rubber Hand Stamp

This hand stamp was prepared for the 31 January 1935 commemoration of the inauguration of Ethiopia’s first radio station. The Akaki Radio Station was located in the hills just outside of Addis Ababa. The hand stamp was applied to individual stamps that had been affixed to either a cover or a special presentation folder containing all 10 stamps. Covers bearing such stamps are not known to have traveled.  The overprint translates : “By Ha(ilé) Se(lassié) Ki(ng of) Ki(ngs) of E(thiopia) 31 January 1935, T. S. F. Inauguration.” Télégraphie san fil is French for telegraph without wire or, radio telegraph.