For your consideration is an exceptionally rare and historically important royal philatelic artifact comprising an original block of four official Iraqi \"On State Service\" postage stamps, each bearing the portrait of King Faisal II of Iraq, boldly hand-signed in blue fountain pen ink by the monarch himself. The stamps are the 16-fils official issue produced for governmental use during the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and depict the youthful sovereign during the regency years of his reign. Executed across all four stamps as a continuous autograph, the royal signature \"Faisal\" unites the block into a single presentation piece, preserving both its philatelic integrity and its character as a personal royal souvenir. The survival of an intact signed multiple of this nature is exceptionally uncommon and represents a remarkable intersection of royal autograph collecting, Middle Eastern history, and twentieth-century philately.
King Faisal II (19351958) occupies a singular place in modern Middle Eastern history as the final reigning monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. Ascending the throne in 1939 following the death of his father, King Ghazi I, Faisal spent his early years under the Regency of his uncle, Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah, before assuming full constitutional authority in 1953. His reign coincided with a transformative period in Iraqi history marked by rapid modernization, expanding international influence, and mounting political tensions throughout the Arab world. On 14 July 1958, during the Iraqi Revolution, Faisal II was assassinated alongside members of the royal family, bringing an abrupt and violent end to the Iraqi monarchy and closing the final chapter of Hashemite rule in Baghdad.
The stamps themselves were issued during the 1940s for official governmental correspondence and form part of the classic portrait issues that visually defined the Iraqi postal system during the final decades of the kingdom. While signed photographs, letters, and official documents from Faisal II occasionally appear on the market, autographed philatelic material is encountered far less frequently, and signed multiples are especially rare. The present block is particularly desirable because the autograph was executed across the complete unit rather than upon a single stamp, transforming an ordinary postal issue into a unique royal presentation artifact directly associated with Iraq\'s last sovereign.
Today, authentic material signed by Faisal II remains highly sought after by collectors of royalty, Middle Eastern history, political memorabilia, and world philately. An intact signed block of official government-use stamps such as the present example possesses exceptional visual appeal and historical resonance, encapsulating the final years of a monarchy extinguished during one of the twentieth century\'s most consequential political upheavals. As both a genuine royal autograph and an official governmental philatelic issue, it stands as an evocative survivor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and a tangible relic of the tragic fate of its last king.
Condition is excellent. The block remains intact and unseparated, retaining strong color, full original perforations, original gum to the reverse, and a bold, well-preserved royal signature extending continuously across all four stamps. Approximate overall size: 1.5 x 1.75 inches (3.8 x 4.4 cm).
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