See the passports to countries that no longer exist

These fascinating photographs show how different the world used to be: A time when people could play guitars in their passport photos, or have citizenship of a country that only lasted four years. Aside from the frantic rummage through a sock drawer the night before an international flight, few people really pay much attention to their passports and what they really mean. A passport isn’t just a way to get through to the duty-free – it’s also a snapshot of a time, place and person that will one day be gone forever, as these passports from countries that no longer exist reveal.

Curated by collector Tom Topol, creator of the website Passport-collector.com, the selection below shows just how many countries have now disappeared – such as Fiume, which existed for just four years and is now part of Croatia – and how unique the documents used to be.

‘I believe this topic is especially intriguing because nowadays our passports are so much standardized,’ said Topol, who is based in Germany – and when you see passport photographs of a woman playing a guitar, it’s easy to see what he means.

Read the full article here: Daily Mail Online

Tom Topol | Passport History Expert & Author.
Featured in media incl. CNN, BBC, Newsweek. Awarded by the U.S. Department of State.
"Want to go deeper? My book Let Pass or Die covers the full 400-year history"

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