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.

1945 MARIBOR, Base stamp error

I recently got a stamp with an interesting error...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, No. 8 with missing "1" in "12". Signed Ercegovič.

Missing "1" and some red paint inside "2" suggest that there was some dirt on the cliché during the printing. This mistake is unknown to me. I think it is an occasional error fixed by cleaning up the cliché as soon as it was noticed.

1945 MARIBOR, Partial & reverse overprint

Although it is most likely that the entire margin of one sheet was folded, so all ten stamps from the right edge were partially overprinted on reverse, this is the only piece I have seen so far...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, 15 pf (Mi. 9) partial overprint and overprint on reverse due to paper fold. Attractive and very rare.

1945 MARIBOR, Unopened letter

It does not often happen that you find a 76-year-old unopened letter, a really nice surprise. Although I am tempted to open it and read the content, it will remain unopened...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, letter sent from Kranj (4.VII.45) to Jesenice, correctly franked with 12 pf. Unopened with original, 76 years old, content.

1945 Maribor, eBay forgery

Non-issued 4 pf Hindenburg is the most valuable stamp of all Slovenian 1945 provisional issues. Only 15 sheets were overprinted. Its catalogue value is 500 EUR while its current market value is around 200 EUR. Therefore, you should be suspicious when you see this...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, 4 pf Hindenburg, forgery on sale.

Genuine above and forgery below. A very primitive product.

UPDATE: This forgery was sold for $52. The buyer probably thinks he paid a low price for the rare stamp, but now he has a worthless fake in his collection. My advice is: request a certificate!

1945 MARIBOR, bicolour stamp

I found a nice example of a bicolour stamp. The most likely explanation for this is that a part of a stamp was exposed to UV light. However, it is interesting that colours perfectly match known colours of 6pf stamp - so one might believe that this occurred while printed...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, a pair of 6pf with shifted overprint. Right stamp in two colours: light purple lilac (785d) and light pink lilac (785c).

Known colours of 6pf stamp.

1945 MARIBOR, Letter from Kranj

1945 Maribor provisional issue was also valid in the Gorenjska (Oberkrain) region...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, registered letter, franked with 42 pf (12 pf for letter and 30 pf for registration), sent from Kranj (28.VI.45) to Ljubljana (30.VI.45). Very rare - only a few exist.

1945 MARIBOR, Guštanj stationery

Guštanj (today Ravne na Koroškem) is known for its long history of steel production. The Earl of Thurn owned a large steel mill, which was very important in the post-war reconstruction of Yugoslavia. Due to the intensive operation of the steel plant right after the liberation in 1945, the post office in Guštanj was also quite busy. It is known that this small post office was without any postmarks, so they had to use provisional ones...

1945 Maribor provisional issue, company stationery sent from Guštanj (26. JUN. 1945) to Muta ob Dravi, franked with 6 pf, canceled with a provisional date canceller. Signed Ercegović.

1945 MARIBOR, forgery

The following fraudulent postcard was recently sold at one of the auctions...

A picture postcard of Škrlatica with two red stamps of mountain lodges in Slovenia, addressed to a private person in Marburg an der Drau, franked with 6 pf from Maribor provisional issue, cancelled 14.V.45 with Vlasenica canceller. Forgery / fraudulent item!

So, what is wrong with it (you can stop reading after No. 1):

1. Maribor provisional issue was issued on 15.06.1945. Therefore, it could not be used one month earlier :)
2. The postcard was to be sent from Vlasenica, the east of Bosnia. Highly unlikely!
3. The German name for Maribor was used. It was doubtful for the period after the liberation.
4. Also, all postal traffic for private shipments in Slovenia was suspended from 12.05.1945 to 8.6.1945, so such mail could not be delivered. All mail delivered after 8.6.1945 was censored.

1945 MARIBOR, eBay forgeries

Look at that! This is worse than a forgery, this is a fantasy creation. Who would want something like this in his collection? 

1945 Maribor provisional issue, 4 pf Hindenburg, a forgery sold on eBay.

1945 MARIBOR, Forerunner from Celje

After the liberation of Slovenia, the military authorities terminated civil postal service for 25 days (from May 12th to Jun 6th). No civilian shipment was permitted. Both outgoing and incoming mail was retained at post offices until Jun 6th.

Forerunner of the 1945 Maribor provisional issue, a letter sent from Sevnica ob Savi (7.VI.1945) to Belgrade. Cancelled with a provisional rubber date stamp and circular censors cancellation "Cenzura Celje". This is the earliest item sent after the reopening of postal service known to me.

1945 MARIBOR, Forgeries

Recently, there are a lot of fakes on the market, especially with various specialties like inverted or double overprints. Below are the two most common types of forgeries...

Genuine overprint

Sharp edges and homogeneous structure of color are the most important features of the genuine overprint.

Forgery A
The wavy line in the middle is not thinner. Upper curvature of the letter S in Yugoslavia is more angular and facing down. 

Dotted structure shows that this forgery was the most likely made with a conventional laser printer.

Forgery B

Star between 9 and 5 is like a rounded stain. L in Yugoslavia is not perpendicular and facing down. Both A in Yugoslavia are without a dot. 

The edges of the overprint are not sharp enough and sometimes color spills out. This is typical for a rubber clichés.

1945 MARIBOR, Ruše cancellation

I found an interesting correspondence which shows the development of the cancellation methods in Ruše immediately after the WWII. Check out the sequence:

The first letter is dated 19.06.1945. A provisional date stamp and a rectangular censor cachet have been used while there is no Ruše cancellation at all.

The second letter is dated 29.06.1945. A provisional date stamp, "RUŠE" cancellation and a round censor cachet have been used.

The third letter is dated 21.07.1945. A new "classic" RUŠE 1 cancellation was used and there is no censor mark (as the censorship stopped after the 02.07.1945).

Note that all three letters share the same cash payment cancellation. First and second letter were franked with 12 pf while the third one was franked in new currency of 2 din.

In the meantime DFJ stamps arrived to Ruše, so the fourth letter, dated 07.08.1945, is the first one  from that correspondence that is franked with a postage stamp.

1945 MARIBOR, Letter from Ruše

The Maribor provisional issue was issued on 16.06.1945. On the same day, only the post offices Kranj and Maribor received stamps, along with the task of distributing them also to the smaller post offices in the surrounding areas. However, it is known that most of the post offices never received these stamps.

1945 Maribor, local provisional issue, letter, correctly franked with 12 pf, paid in cash, sent from Ruše (29.VI.1945) to Sisak, Croatia. Cancelled with provisional "RUŠE" cancellation. Censored in Maribor.

Provisional "RUŠE" cancellation with date and cash payment cancellations.

Maribor censorship cachet.

1945 MARIBOR, Slanting overprint

All 1945 Slovenian provisional issues were overprinted in enviably high quality. That is a reason for a small number of errors and specialties that are available today. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the entire sheet of Maribor issue with very large slanting overprint.

1945 Maribor local provisional issue, entire sheet of 12pf (Mi. 8) with large slanting overprint.

Extract of the overprint.

Lower right detail, showing one overprint extended to four adjacent stamps.

1945 SLOVENIA, Forgeries

All three Slovenian provisional issues (Ljubljana, Maribor and Murska Sobota) have been overprinted with the same overprint composition that was adjusted only to the size and orientation of base stamps.

Recently, somebody showed me a negative to be used for etching the cliches, but under the high magnification it turns out that it is a fake. See more about the forgeries here.

Negative

Enlargement shows dotted structure that is typical of today's printers.

1945 MARIBOR, Late usage

In an official circular letter of 27.06.1945 all post offices in the Gorenjska and Styria region were instructed that from 02.07.1945 onwards they shall cease to sell and use stamps of the Maribor provisional issue. 

1945 Maribor, local provisional issue, letter, correctly franked with 12 pf, sent from Bled (2.VII.45) to Ljubljana. Late usage.

1945 GUŠTANJ, Porto provisorium

Stamps of Maribor provisional issue were used internally as porto provisorium before and after the end of general validity. 

1945 Guštanj porto provisorium, letter sent from Ljubljana (29.6.45) to Guštanj (2.7.45) with arrival postage due stamps (24 pf) cancelled with "Guštanj," / "PORTO / -2.7.45".

1945 Guštanj porto provisorium, letter sent from Ljubljana (2.7.45) to Dravograd, forwarded to Guštanj with arrival postage due stamps (24 pf) cancelled with "Guštanj," / "PORTO".

1945 MARIBOR, Hindenburg

Hindenburg 4 pf with the Maribor provisional issue overprint is the rarest stamp of all 1945 Slovenian provisional issues.

1945 Maribor local provisional issue, 4 pf Hindenburg in block of four.

Certificate Bar and Veličković.

1945 MARIBOR, Provisional rubber cancellation

Finally got some nice items from the Slovenian provisional issues....

1945 Maribor, local provisional issue, registered letter, correctly franked with 42 pf (8 x 6 pf), sent from Mojstrana (27. JUN. 1945) to Ljubljana, cancelled by the provisional rubber cancellation.

Provisional rubber cancellation enlarged.