1943 ŠIBENIK, War propaganda stamp

The rarest of the overprinted values are:

• 1 Lire - 2 pieces
• 5 Cent porto - 11 pieces
• 10 Lire - 17 pieces
• War propaganda stamps (different) - 49 pieces (altogether)
• Packet stamps (pacche) - a few pieces

1943 Šibenik local provisional issue, hand overprint on 30 cent war propaganda stamp.

An exceptionally rare item.

1941 BANJA LUKA, One of the most rare FDC

The literature states that the philatelic club in Banja Luka issued only ten FDC envelopes, make this as one of the rarest FDC on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

1941 Banja Luka, provisional issue, complete set on the Banja Luka philatelic club cover, cancelled 21.IV.41 - first day cover. Certificate Ercegović.

1945 SPLIT, 30 kn red color proof

Until now the following proofs have been known:

• one full sheet of 10 kn in red color
• one full sheet of 10 kn in black color
• one full sheet of 30 kn in green color, tête-bêche
• one-half sheet of 30 kn in black color
• one-half sheet of 30 kn in dark green color
• one-half sheet of 30 kn in green color

Now I can confirm that there is also:

• another full sheet of 10 kn in red color
• another half sheet of 30 kn in green color
• and the most striking finding: the half sheet of 30 kn in red color

1945 Split local provisional issue, overprint proof with a value of 30 kn in red color, complete half sheet.

1941 BANJA LUKA, A mystery of position 10

For some time I have been dealing with the dilemma regarding the typical error on position 10. Reading the "Croatian Philately" book by Velimir Ercegović, "Croatian Local and Unofficial Issues" handbook by Mladen Vilfan as well as the Michel Kroatien Spezial Katalog 2004 you will find following about typical errors:

a) Raised "B" in "Bosanska" (position 10)
b) "Basanska" instead of "Bosanska" (position 23)

While I had no problem with the second, the raised "B" was a real mystery! The fact is that there is no raised "B" in "Bosanska" but raised first "o" in "Slobodna". It looks like that Ercegović made a mistake while all others just automatically took this as granted.

Position 10 - Raised "o" in "Slobodna".

1945 LJUBLJANA, Shifted overprint

 Large displacements of the overprints are quite rare...

1945 Ljubljana, local provisional issue, 1L with large horizontal shift of the overprint. First stamp almost entirely without the overprint.

1941 Međimurje, 75th Anniversary

Today (15.04.2016) we mark the 75th anniversary of the Unofficial Local Issue of Međimurje.

See posts tagged with the NDH 1941 Međimurje.

1943/44 ŠIBENIK, Mixed franking stationery

A few philatelically motivated letters and stationery are known - those that are properly franked and actually passed through the regular postal channels are rare and valuable.

1943/44 Šibenik local provisional issue, registered stationery, properly franked with 11,7 kn (0,3 * 4 = 1,2 kn of Šibenik I, 3,5 * 2 = 7 kn of Šibenik II and 3,5 kn of NDH definitive), charged with 5 kn war tax, sent from Šibenik (18.VIII.44) to Imotski (1.IX.44). 

1945 CETINJE, Single stamp cover

Yesterday I spent a very nice day with my new philatelic friend. We had a long and interesting conversation, plus we exchanged some items... here is one of them...

1945 Cetinje, local provisional issue, single stamp cover, properly franked with 5 Lir, send from Jošica (30.III.1945) to Split. 

Two-line military censorship cancel ВOJНA ЦEНЗУРA / ХEРЦEГНOВИ (VOJNA CENZURA / HERCEGNOVI)

Additional stamp on the back: КОМАНДА БОКЕ КОТОРСКЕ (KOMANDA BOKE KOTORSKE)

1941 MEĐIMURJE, Single Frame Exhibit

I just finished my first exhibit...

Unofficial Local Issue of Međimurje

The First Croatian WWII Local Issue

Digital version of the exhibit is available here.

1945 SPLIT, Letter with unusual route

Recently I found an interesting letter, addressed from Kaštel Stari to Zagreb and traveled via the Zadar. The normal route for mail from Šibenik and Split to Zagreb was by train through the Knin, but it looks like that this letter traveled unusually, first by boat to Zadar and then to Zagreb. 

1945 Split local provisional issue, registered letter, properly franked with 50 kn, sent from Kaštel Stari (17.V.45) to Zagreb. Censor cancellation No. 3 (Split). Via Zadar cancellation (20.V.45).

Zadar cancellation POŠTA (?) / 20.V.45 / ZADAR.
I have never seen this cancellation before, so I will be grateful for any information.

1941 MEĐIMURJE, Overprint forgeries

Only one type of forgeries is known to me. It was produced immediately after the WWII and it is so poor that can only confuse those that did not see the originals.

The differences are visible at a first glance: different typography was used, text is narrowed and the relationship between overprinted elements is quite different. The most obvious distinction is invalid type of coat-of-arms. The originals have coat-of-arms of the Banovina of Croatian, while forgeries have coat-of-arms of the Independent State of Croatia (different sequence of white and black squares).

Original on the left and forgery on the right.

Note that two types and four subtypes of the coat-of-arms exists. For details, see: 1941 MEĐIMURJE - The Clasification of Overprints.

1945 SPLIT, Zagreb suspended mail service

On the day of the liberation of Zagreb (8.5.1945) the military government temporarily suspended mail service for civilians. Shipments were detained in post offices and delivered to the recipients only after the release of postal traffic, somewhere around 7.6.1945.

1945 Split local provisional issue, postal stationery, type 2/IIb, sent registered from Split (28.V.45) to Zagreb (4.VI.45).

4.VI.45 Zagreb cancellation on the back side. Stationery was probably delivered to the recipient only after a mail traffic was released again.

Croatian Stamp Examiner Association

... next step in my philatelic "career" :) ...

I am now a member of the Croatian Stamp Examiner Association. My areas are: Provisional issues of the D.F. Yugoslavia 1944 - 1945 and Local and unofficial issues of the Independent Croatian State 1941 - 1945.

1943 ŠIBENIK - Hand overprints

I don't have much blogging time lately, I have to finish some projects at work, while already preparing an article about 1943 Šibenik hand overprints - probably the most difficult overprinted issue I studied so far.

I have a double size sheet with 200 overprinted stamps what is a unique source for the study. Due to the rubber stamp each overprint depends on: a) the amount of the color, b) the strength of the print and c) the angle and the rotation under which the stamp hit the base.

1943 Šibenik local provisional issue, 50 cent double sheet (2x100) with hand overprints. 

Enlarged detail, showing some of the overprint variations.

1941 MEĐIMURJE, Inverted overprint

Inverted overprints are very rare. So far, I saw less than ten such items...

1941 Međimurje, unofficial local provisional issue, 0,25 din, pair with inverted overprint. Cliche a2/3 and b2/1.

Inverted overprint overlapped with the setting of four cliches from the second printing.
For details see: 1941 MEĐIMURJE - The Clasification of Overprints.

1944 VIS, Partisan mail

Before the liberation of Dalmatia a partisan post was sometimes used for personal letters, especially if addressed on high officers.

Small format letter from Kaštel Lukšić (18.8.1944) to the partisans military headquarters on the island Vis, two-line censorship cancel POŠTA VIS/CENZURISANO.

Censorship cancel enlarged.

1944 SENTA, The manual

The manual is a logical continuation of some previous Senta articles and new findings with the most complete set of information about this issue you can find in one place.

Authors: Vid Žiberna and myself, publisher: Philatelic Society Ljubljana, language: slovenian, 58 pages, A4 format, price 20,00 EUR + P&P. To order please contact me at alesmarinsek67@gmail.com.

Senta 1944

First Yugoslavian Local Provisional Issue

The Manual

1945 MOSTAR, Stationery

Stationery without additional postage were tolerated by small post offices outside the Mostar until the end of the use.

1945 Mostar local provisional issue, stationery sent from contractual post office Široki Brijeg (7.6.45) to Beograd. Certificate Viflan.

1945 MOSTAR, shifted overprint

It is much more common to have 1945 Mostar stamp with a slightly shifted overprint than the ideally centered one. The reason for this is because the clichés where mounted too narrow horizontally and also because stamps with different heights were used for overprinting. So, displacements of less than 10 mm are common, whereas shifts larger than 10 mm could be quite attractive and highly valued, especially those on larger pieces. Read more:  Mostar Provisional Issue DFJ 1945 - Contribution to the Study of Overprints.

1945 Mostar local provisional issue, 10 / 2 Kn on pelure paper, vertical strip, positions 64/74/84/94, overprint shift at dx=12 mm.

1943 SPLIT, The most famous overprint flaw

The most famous overprint flaw is missing upper right stroke of K at position 38.

Position 38, missing upper right stroke of K.

1943 Split local unreleased issue for Dalmatia, 3.50 kn / 1.25 Lire in pair with double overprint from positions 37 and 38.  Note that only one sheet of 3.50 kn / 1.25 Lire was double overprinted, so this item is unique.

1944 Transadriatic route

In the summer of 1944, Transadriatic mail was established. Military aviation maintained the connection between the island of Vis and airports in Bari and Lecce.

Transadriatic military route.

Until recently, a letter from Lecce was not known.

Transadriatic military mail from Lecce (21.IX.1944) to the position of VIII corpus.

The backside of the envelope with affixed label and bilingual cancel "★ / JUGOSLAV. OFICIR ZA VEZU / YUGOSLAV LIAISON OFFICER / LECCE".

The same bilingual cancel was used as the letter header. 

WWII Kun's Partisan, just published...

Hrvatska Filatelija No. 4/2015 

Tajna eseja Kunovog Partizana

Croation | HF 4/2015

1945 SPLIT, Military forerunners

Prior to the outcome of the 1945 Split local provisional issue in 1st of March, payment in cash was used. Postage for military shipments was free of charge.

Forerunner of the 1945 Split provisional issue, postcard sent from island Korčula (30.XI.44) to Trpanj, free of charge as the recipient was a military person. Military censor cancellation No. 3.

Forerunner of the 1945 Split provisional issue, Christmas card sent from Sinj (23.XII.44) to the headquarters of II division, free of charge as the recipient was a military person. Military censor cancellation No. 1.

Forerunner of the 1945 Split provisional issue, postcard sent from Šibenik (10.II.45) to Makarska, free of charge as the recipient was a military person. Censor cancellation No. 6, Šibenik.

Similar items exists for the period after the 01.03.1945. 

Forerunner of the 1945 Split provisional issue, postcard sent from Sinj (7.III.45) to Makarska, free of charge as the recipient was a military person. Censor cancellation No. 17, Sinj.

Easter greetings card sent from Split (30.III.45) to Konavle. Non military mail but sent without postage. Censor cancellation No. 3, Split.

  

Postcard sent from Knin (probably in late April 1945) to island Rab, free of charge as the recipient was a military person. Censor cancellation No. 13, Knin.

1943 ŠIBENIK, Stationery with hand overprint

Several Italian stationery (15, 30, 50 and 75 Cent.) were overprinted with the N.D. / H. hand overprint. Among all, the most rare are those with 75 Cent.

1943 Šibenik local provisional issue, 75 Cent. stationery with N.D. / H. hand overprint.

1945 SPLIT, Letter with both key stamps

1945 Split local provisional issue was issued in three separate phases. The last, both key stamps: 20 kn / 6 kn Dubrovnik and 30 kn / 8 kn Sarajevo were issued on 21.3.1945.

1945 Split, local provisional issue, correctly franked registered letter, sent from Split (21.III.45) to Šibenik. Censor cancellation No. 3 (Split) on the back side. Very rare usage of key stamps.

1945 LJUBLJANA, Single stamp letter

Here is another item from the Slovenian provisional issues...

1945 Ljubljana, local provisional issue, single stamp letter, correctly franked with 1 Lire, sent from Ljubljana (27.VI.45) to Dobrunje.

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.

1944 ŠIBENIK, Letter with Mi. 304 in block of 4

Although philatelically motivated, nice and valuable letter franked with Mi. 304 in block of four.

1944 Šibenik, local provisional issue, registered letter, franked with Mi. 304 in block of four, charged with 2 kn war tax, sent loco Šibenik (15.VI.44). Signed Alberto Diena.

Post office receipt.

1944 DB BRAČ, Just published...

Hrvatska Filatelija No. 3/2015 

German WWII Occupation Issue of
Island of Brač

English | Croation | HF 3/2015

1944 SENTA, Fakes

Today, fakes of two Senta commemorative sheets were sold on eBay for a lot of money. I wanted to buy them for the analysis of Senta forgeries, but my limit of 50$ has been exceeded a lot! I am afraid that the buyer does not know that he bought the fakes...

Fake of a commemorative sheet, type B1.

 Fake of a commemorative sheet, type B2.