Ethiopia Menelik II Lion of Judah, First Issue

Ethiopia · 1894 · 1/4 g

This stamp is part of Ethiopia's first-ever postage stamp series. The design features a profile portrait of Emperor Menelik II on the left and the Lion of Judah, a traditional symbol of Ethiopian royalty, on the right. The denomination is shown in Amharic script.

Issued under Emperor Menelik II, these stamps marked Ethiopia's entry into the Universal Postal Union and asserted its sovereignty and modernity on the world stage during a period of European colonial expansion in Africa.