Libya stamps year 1982 World Football Championship in Spain MNH
In 1982, Libya (then the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) released an extensive and colorful stamp issue to commemorate the 12th FIFA World Cup held in Spain. This was a significant year for Libyan football philately, as they also hosted the African Cup of Nations that same year.
The World Cup issue is divided into a set of standard stamps and two distinct souvenir sheets.
1. The Standard Stamp Set
The basic set consists of four perforated stamps featuring various action scenes on the football pitch.
| Denomination | Design / Color Theme | Scott / Michel # |
| 45 D | Players in action (Orange/Yellow) | Scott 1016 / Mi. 1016 |
| 100 D | Goalkeeper making a save (Blue/Green) | Scott 1017 / Mi. 1017 |
| 200 D | Midfield play (Purple/Red) | Scott 1018 / Mi. 1018 |
| 300 D | Striker shooting (Multicolor) | Scott 1019 / Mi. 1019 |
2. The Souvenir Sheets (Blocks)
Libya also issued two large souvenir sheets, which are very popular with sports topical collectors. These are often found both perforated and imperforated.
- Souvenir Sheet 1 (500 D): Depicts a stadium scene and players, typically cataloged as Michel Block 61 (Scott 1020).
- Souvenir Sheet 2 (500 D): Features a similar football theme but with different action shots, cataloged as Michel Block 62 (Scott 1021).
Collector Note: There is a known variety of the 500 D souvenir sheet (Scott 1021) that features green printing on the reverse side (Arabic text). This variety is often sought after by specialist collectors.
Current Market Value
- Complete Set (4 stamps + 2 sheets): Generally retails for $5.00 – $10.00 in Mint Never Hinged (MNH) condition.5
- Imperforate Sets: Because Libya produced many “deluxe” or imperforate versions for the collector market during this era, a complete collection of all 16 possible imperforate variations can sometimes reach $80.00 – $100.00.
- Used Sets: These are somewhat harder to find than mint sets because the high denominations (500 D) were rarely used for actual post during the tournament.
