1942 FOČA, First Partisan post

Between 20 January and 10 May 1942, the Partisans took control of Foča and the surrounding area, proclaiming the so-called Republic of Foča.

The Partisans established a postal service primarily for patriotic and promotional purposes rather than addressing practical postal needs. They used old Yugoslav stamps overprinted by the Ustasha with its coat of arms and the inscription "NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA" ("INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROATIA"). These stamps were marked with a rubber cachet featuring a five-pointed star and the inscriptions "SMRT FAŠIZMU - SLOBODA NARODU" ("DEATH TO FASCISM - FREEDOM TO THE PEOPLE") and "Partizanska POŠTA" ("Partisan POST").

This is an interesting excerpt from Vladimir Dedijer's diary. It features two affixed stamps (Mi. 12 and 41), overprinted with a five-pointed star and cancelled with the "Foča 1.V.42" postmark, along with the mentioned inscriptions using provisional rubber cachets.

The 1942 Foča Partisan provisional issue includes two NDH stationery items: one with Mi. 12 and the other with Mi. P1, both bearing provisional rubber cachet overprints. Notably, the five-pointed star was deliberately overprinted to obscure the Ustasha symbols.

Military censor No. 7

From time to time, previously unseen items could be discovered. In late 1944 and early 1945, before the civil censorship service in Dalmatia was established, mail was censored by military authorities. Until now, only the following military censors were known: No. 1 - Sinj, No. 3 - Split, No. 10 - Dubrovnik, and No. 13 - Knin. A new discovery adds No. 7, found on a letter sent from Trpanj...

Letter, free of charge for a military person, sent from Trpanj (1.XII.44) to Dubrovnik (5/12), censored by military censor "★ VOJNA / CENZURA 7" and initial. This is the only known example of this censorship cachet.

1945 SPLIT - Mail from Lika

Mail bearing the Split Provisional Issue stamps, posted in southern Lika, is rarely seen. The coastal and island post offices, where the newly issued stamps were mainly used, did not cover the Lika area. Censorship in Lika was also not part of the broader censorship system, so the unified censorship mark "CENZURIRANO / Br. N" was not applied there.

1945 Split Provisional Issue, registered letter, franked 50kn with No.4 and No.7 (2x) (20kn basic rate, 30kn registration fee), sent from Gospić Lika (24.VI.45) to Sesvete near Zagreb, censored my military censor in Gospič "★ / VOJNA CENZURA / GOSPIĆ / DANA 25 VI 1945" and initial.

Pre-overprinted parcel card for civilian internees

Preserved concentration camp mail is rare, but parcel cards are even rarer. I have encountered them only for a few parcels, all addressed to major camps in Italy. Most were returned to the sender because the addressee was unavailable—either transferred to another camp or deceased.

Recently, I discovered an intriguing parcel card pre-overprinted with the Italian Red Cross symbol and with some fields already prefilled in red. The field "Valore" (= Value) contains the inscription: "Pacco per prigioniero internato civile di guerra" (= Parcel for Interned Civilian Prisoner of War). The overprint was done using the letterpress technique, suggesting a large circulation. However, to date, I have only come across this single example.

Ljubljana Province, parcel card, pre-overprinted for Red Cross usage, for a 5kg parcel, sent from Ljubljana to Concentration Camp Arbe. The parcel was handed over to Ljubljana 2 Post Office on 9.11.42 and forwarded on 11.11.42. It passed through customs in Trieste on 13.11.42 and was delivered to the Arbe Post Office and the Concentration Camp on 17.11.42. However, because the addressee was unavailable, the parcel was marked for return to Ljubljana with the manuscript annotation "Al Mittente Retour Lubiana." The parcel returned to Ljubljana 2 Post Office on 26.12.42 and transferred to Ljubljana 1 Post Office on 28.12.42 with the label "Esente da diritti doganali / Prosto carine" (= Free of customs). On 29.12.42, a warehousing fee of 80 cents was applied before it was handed over to a representative of the Red Cross.

1943/44 ŠIBENIK - Mixed franking

In the spring of 1944, the Croatian Kuna was introduced as the regular currency. The postage was denominated in Kuna as follows: Postcard 2.00 Kn, Ordinary Letter 3.50 Kn, Registration Fee 9.00 Kn, and Express Delivery Fee 10.00 Kn. As all stamps were overprinted with the 3.50 Kn face value and in the absence of appropriate denominations, minor tariff divergences of one or two Kuna were tolerated. Mixed frankings with the First Šibenik Issue denominated in Italian Lira was calculated based on 1.00 Lira = 4.00 Kn.

Registered letter, franked with 10.50 kn and 80 cents, surcharged 2 kn with War Tax stamp, mixed franking of first and second Šibenik issue, sent from Šibenik (26.VII.44) to Osijek (4.VIII.44), censored in Osijek "CENZURA / 43 / OSIJEK". Since the addressee travelled away ("Otputovao / Parti"), the letter was returned (handwritten "Retur / Šibenik") via Split (21.VIII.44) to Šibenik. Certificate Zrinjšćak.

1943/44 ŠIBENIK, Unique item

Soon after the Italian capitulation and withdrawal, between September 13 and 16, Italian stamps and stationery postcards found in post offices and retail kiosks in Šibenik were overprinted with rubber cachets bearing the initials "N. D. / H." for Nezavisna Država Hrvatska (the Independent State of Croatia). Non-philatelic mail using these stamps and stationery is very rare, with only a few known items. Furthermore, until now, I have never seen an item from the second usage period, which lasted from November 17, 1943, to March 14, 1944.

First Šibenik local issue, Italian stationery, overprinted with "N. D. / H.", sent from Šibenik (29.II.44) to Slavonska Požega. Censured in Zagreb (CENZURA 51). Novak correspondence. Ex Kugel. To my knowledge, this is the only known instance of non-philatelic use during the second usage period.

Stationery were overprinted with the same rubber cachets used for overprinting stamps.

Political confinement - Pisticci

Political confinement was a specific form of repression used by the Italian authorities during WWII against Slovenes, particularly those who were considered politically dangerous or suspicious. Unlike internment, which involved the mass imprisonment of people in camps, confinement was an individual measure where individuals were forcibly relocated to remote towns or villages in Italy, where they were under constant police supervision. Confinees were not placed in camps, but their movements and communication with the outside world were strictly limited, with their mail being closely monitored and censored.

30 cent Stationery, sent from Bonifico di Pisticci, MA (5.3.42) to Ljubljana. Censored in Pisticci "CONFINO POLITICO PISTICCI / VERIFICATO PER CENSURA" and in Ljubljana "Commisione provinciale di censura / LUBIANA".

Pisticci is located in the far south of Italy, more than 1100 kilometers from Ljubljana.

1941 Banja Luka - $10,000 cover

The Cherrystone auction, featuring the Alfred F. Kugel collection, yielded excellent results for Croatian items. Eleven out of thirteen lots were sold, most fetching more than double their starting prices.

One item stands out in particular: a Banja Luka cover with both stamps in blocks of four addressed to the philatelic bureau in Zagreb. The starting price was $1,000, and the final realization was $7,500. Taking into account the buyer’s premium and, for EU buyers, potential customs duties, the total price approaches $10,000. This undoubtedly makes it one of this period's more expensive Croatian pieces.

1941 Banja Luka local issue, express registered letter, franked with 12 din (express delivery fee 4 din, registration fee 5 din, second weight letter 3 din), sent from Banja Luka (13.VI.41) to Zagreb (14.VI.41).

I also considered purchasing this item but ultimately decided against it because the odd placement of the Express sticker bothered me a lot. I can not shake the feeling that it was affixed later.

It seems the label was adjusted to avoid covering the cancellation. Or am I mistaken?

1945 MARIBOR, Largest multiple of Hindenburg

The rarest postage stamp among Slovenian provisional issues is a stamp with an overprint on Hindenburg 4pf. Only 20 sheets were overprinted. It appears on the market almost exclusively as a single piece. I only know two blocks of four and one block of six, which is also the largest known multiple...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, Mi. No. I, block of six with upper margin, position 3-5/13-15. The largest known multiple. Certificate Marinšek.

1941 MEĐIMURJE, CTO or fraudulent

When the German Army occupied Međimurje, they halted all postal traffic until the Hungarians assumed control on April 21, 1941. Despite this, approximately twenty letters franked with the Međimurje Issue have been recorded. These letters were processed through regular postal channels and successfully delivered to their addressees. Since all post offices in Čakovec and the entire Međimurje region were closed then, the mail was dispatched from the nearby city of Varaždin.

Two covers bear Međimurje stamps cancelled with Čakovec postmarks on April 12, 1941. After the closure of the Čakovec post office, its cancellers fell into private hands. Consequently, any items bearing these postmarks with dates after April 7, 1941, are considered cancelled to order or fraudulent.

1941 MEĐIMURJE, unique letter

1941 Međimurje stamps were not sold at post offices. However, the post office in Varaždin accepted and tolerated the use of these stamps. Approximately 20 letters are known to have travelled with these stamps, all of which were sent by Dr Wolf from the Varaždin post office to various addresses in Zagreb.

I acquired a letter that is unique from several perspectives:

• It is not on Dr. Wolf's law office stationery.
• It includes a 0.25 Din stamp.
• It features stamps with both types of coat-of-arms.
• It contains a stamp with the typical "Hrvatska država" error.
• Most importantly, it was correctly franked with 2 din for internal use.

1941 Međimurje, local provisional issue, correctly franked with 2 Din for internal usage, Varaždin (18.IV.1941). Certificate Vilfan.

Typical error "Hrvatska država" in horizontal pair with regular stamp (positions 2,3).

1945 SPLIT, St.1 stationery

There are three main types of overprinted stationery. The most common is the "King Petar" stationery, which comes in four variants. The other two types are extremely rare. The first is the "Young Petar" stationery, with five used and a few unused examples known. The second is the overprinted NDH stationery, with about twenty unused and only a few used examples known.

1945 Split local provisional issue, registered stationery of type St.1, franked with 80 kn and sent from Šibenik (22.VI.45) to Zagreb (28.VI.45). Very rare usage of stationery of type St.1. Certificate Vilfan.

1945 ZAGREB, imperforated vertically

In 2010, 65 years after their issuance, an important discovery was made: a single sheet of Zagreb 80kn / 2kn was found imperforate vertically between the second and third columns. This is one of the greatest rarities of this issue.

1945 Zagreb local provisional issue, 80 kn / 2 kn, block of four, imperforated vertically. 

Max 10 pairs or 5 blocks of four exist. Certificate Vilfan.

1943 IMOTSKI - Official letter

For a short period in 1943, the Imotski post office used a temporary provisional postmark "POŠTA - IMOTSKI" and a handwritten dispatch date... 

Registered official letter, sent from Imotski (11.6.43) to Mostar (22.VI.43) franked with 16kn (7kn for the second weight letter and 9kn for the registration), cancelled with a temporary provisional rubber postmark "POŠTA - IMOTSKI".

1945 MOSTAR - Unique combination

Two sheets measuring 10x10 of No. 2 10/0.5 Kn on intaglio paper were overprinted. Initially, both sheets were in the tête-bêche format. Before the overprinting, one sheet was cut down the middle and reassembled in the normal orientation, while the other sheet remained in the tête-bêche format by mistake. As a result, the overprinting process produced 150 stamps with a regular overprint and 50 stamps with an inverted overprint.

The quantities of the three common flaws on the No. 2 intaglio paper are:

• Demokrntska normal overprint - unique
• Demokrntska inverted overprint - unique
• Jngoslavija normal overprint - unique
• Jngoslavija inverted overprint - unique
• Jugosiavija normal overprint - 2 pieces (possibly one of them in a tête-bêche pair)

1945 Mostar provisional issue, No. 2, 10/0.5 Kn on intaglio paper with inverted overprint and a typical flaw Demokrntska, overprint position 49. Unique. Ex Tiberio.

1944 SENTA, Letter franked with rare stamps

 It is scarce to see stamps from a set of Big Senta on letters... 

Registered letter, addressed to National Liberation Committee in Ada, franked with 100 f and cancelled with Senta postmark on 26.X.44. Very rare usage of Great Women stamps from a set of Big Senta. Certificate Veličković.

1944 Senta - SOLD

The Philadria auction on April 13th witnessed, among other things, an outstanding sale of 1944 Senta items, with all Senta lots surpassing their asking prices. It is gratifying to observe such significant interest among collectors. Here are some notable highlights:

• Complete set of Small and Big Senta: Asking price €1,800, realized €2,700 (€3,240 with provision).
• National Liberation Committee's commemorative sheet of type B: Asking price €750, realized €1,600 (€1,920 with provision).
• Trial print of the entire row (10x1): Asking price €500, realized €750 (€900 with provision).

1945 Postage Due

After liberation, postage was free for military personnel sending or receiving mail. The Post Office typically overlooked cases where this was not evident. However, occasionally, specimens are found where postage due is charged. Early examples with overprinted postage due stamps are rare.

Unfranked letter, sent to Belgrade (13.II.45) where it was censored by Military censor No. 5 and charged a postage due fee of 20 din for inland postage. The place of dispatch is not visible as the postmark is obscured by the stamps. Rere usage of postage due stamps with the 1944 overprint.

1945 SPLIT - A letter to the United States

Shipments abroad were very rare. Most of them were sent to Bari, where a division of the Yugoslav Army was stationed. So far, I have come across only three letters destined for the USA, one of which is registered. This letter is truly remarkable — it was sent from a small island near Šibenik, correctly franked for foreign postage, double-censored, and bears three transit and arrival cancellations.

1945 Split provisional issue, registered letter franked with 70kn (40kn foreign letter rate, 30kn registration fee) sent from Prvić Luka, island Prvić, (20.06.45) to San Pedro, California, USA (11.08.45). Transit through Bari (03.07.45), Naples (06.07.45) and New York (07.08.45). Censored in Šibenik (CENZURIRANO / Br. 6) and by Allied Transadriatic Censorship in Bari (MILITARY CENSORSHIP / 0107 / CIVIL MAILS).

2024

I wish you a happy New Year with rare finds, valuable acquisitions, and endless philatelic adventures.