A nice collection of 27 stamps from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Included are some of the desirable commemoratives. Most of the commemoratives are lightly-hinged mint.

Condition is tidy and clean. A few shortish perfs on some stamps.

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The King of the Netherlands remained Head of State as Grand Duke of Luxembourg, maintaining personal union between the two countries until 1890. At the death of William III, the Dutch throne passed to his daughter Wilhelmina, while Luxembourg (at that time restricted to male heirs by the Nassau Family Pact) passed to Adolph of Nassau-Weilburg.

Luxembourg was invaded and occupied by Germany during the First World War, but was allowed to maintain its independence and political mechanisms. It was again invaded and subject to German occupation in the Second World War in 1940, and was formally annexed into the Third Reich in 1942.

During World War II, Luxembourg abandoned its policy of neutrality, when it joined the Allies in fighting Germany. Its government, exiled to London, set up a small group of volunteers who participated in the Normandy invasion. It became a founding member of the United Nations in 1946, and of NATO in 1949. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community and, in 1999, it joined the euro currency area. In 2005, a referendum on the EU treaty establishing a constitution for Europe was held in Luxembourg.

It has continued to issue tasteful and attractive stamps to this day.

Luxembourg stamps remained cheap for many years, but the last several years have seen Gibbons catalogue valuations for many 20th century Luxembourg stamps rocketing upwards, often six times or more what they were previously valued at!

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