Double censorship

Normally, all shipments were censored at departure, but from time to time you can find some that were censored at arrival or they were not censored at all. The rarest are those that have been censored twice.

Registered letter sent from Banja Luka (26.V.1945) to Šibenik, franked with 160 occupational din, cancelled in transit in Prijedor (27.V.1945), first censored at departure (handwritten censor mark on the front side) and secondly at arrival in Šibenik (censor mark no. 6 on the back side).

At departure - handwritten censor mark.

At arrival - censor mark No. 6 - Šibenik.

1944 SENTA, Rubber canceller

Recently I found a Senta letter cancelled with an unusual canceller. At first glance, the cancellation seemed very strange, but then I found exactly the same cancellation on the special commemorative sheet I obtained from the Senta city archive. It is still not clear why this provisional rubber canceller has been used at the beginning of 1945...

1944 Senta provisional issue, letter, properly franked with 30 f, sent from Senta (2.I.1945) to Mol, cancelled with provisional rubber canceller.

Provisional rubber canceller.
POŠTA  /  ___ ★ 194_  /  SENTA 

Before I show that special commemorative sheet with the same rubber cancellation, you need to know that at the end of October 1944, the National Liberation Committee in Senta issued commemorative sheets with Senta provisional stamps (for more see here).

Senta commemorative sheet

At the end of the 1944 or at the beginning of 1945, after the new DFJ stamps arrived, they made new commemorative sheets in such a way that they simply overlay a piece of paper on top of remained sheets, leaving only the upper inscription with a five-pointed star and the blue/red border. Interestingly, this time they used the same canceller as on the above-mentioned letter.

Modified Commemorative sheet. Note how they overlap original content.
(Click on image to enlarge)

The same provisional rubber canceller.

Update: see also 1944 SENTA, Rubber canceller - 2

PhilAdria 18th Stamp auction

After a long time, I finally spent a nice and calm philatelic day. I went to the PhilAdria auction, I bought a few items and had a nice chat with colleagues.

PhilAdria auction hall.

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 MOSTAR, Registered letter

Letters of Mostar issue are extremely rare - probably less than ten exist. Luckily I managed to find one nice item...

1945 Mostar local provisional issue, registered letter, franked with 240 kn, sent from Mostar (26.V.45) to Vinkovci (4.VI.45). Military censor cancellation No. 2. Fourth stamp in block of eight with typical error Jugosiavija instead of  Jugoslavija (position 85). Certificate Ercegović.

1941 MEĐIMURJE, Gold medal

I am happy to announce that I got a gold medal for my "1941 Međimurje" exhibit at the specialized one frame exhibition of the Alpe Adria and southeastern Europe countries in Kranj.

Digital version of the exhibit is available here.

"1941 Međimurje" on the exhibition floor.

Manual about the first Croatian stamps

I would like to inform you that Mladen Vilfan just published a manual about the first Croatian postage stamps - issue 29.10.1918. This is not my area, but I can assure you that it is a must-have manual, written in Croatian and English, which brings together all known information as well as a lot of new findings about this issue.

You can order the manual directly from the author: mladfan@hotmail.com.

First Croatian postage stamps - Issue 29.10.1918.

1944 SENTA, “Југосливиjа” overprint error

One of the greatest rarities of all DFJ provisional issues is the overprint error "Југосливиjа" instead of “Југославиjа” that can be found on the nine values of Big Senta. For the "Famous women" and Porto stamps only two of each exist.

1944 Senta local provisional issue, all nine values of Big Senta with "Југосливиjа" error. Great rarity, only this set is known to me.

1945 ZAGREB, Forerunner from Vukovar

The 1945 Zagreb issue stamps were released on June 25th, 1945. Before that only cache payment was possible (however, even after the stamps were issued, most of the post offices outside of Zagreb did not receive them, so the cache only payment continued...).

Forerunner of the 1945 Zagreb provisional issue, letter sent from Vukovar (13.VI.45) to Zaječar Serbia, properly charged of 80 kn in cash (Zagreb tariff), censored by the censor in Vukovar.

Vukovar censor mark.

1945 LJUBLJANA, Telegraph wires

The most attractive typical error of 1945 Ljubljana issue is so-called "telegraph wires" found on the base stamps of 50 cent. Error resembles to telegraph wires and extends over the horizontal strip of five stamps at positions 54-58.

1945 Ljubljana, local provisional issue, 50 cent horizontal strip at positions 54-58, typical error on base stamps known as telegraph wires.

Schematic view of telegraph wires.

Enlarged view, position 57.

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.

1943/44 ŠIBENIK, Article

New Acta Philatelica was published! A high quality magazine with full of interesting articles, including my latest work about the first and second provisional issue of Šibenik 1943/44.

ACTA PHILATELICA NOVA 2016

Croatian philatelic almanac

Independent State of Croatia
First and Second Provisional Issue of Šibenik 1943/44

To order please contact me at alesmarinsek67@gmail.com

1945 SARAJEVO, Military censor mark

Sarajevo stationery postcards were used from Jun 1945 to March 1946. Those from Jun 1945 should have censor marks as the censorship was in effect until July 2nd, 1945.

1945 Sarajevo local provisional issue, stationery postcard type Ia, sent from Bosanska Gradiška (16.VI.1945) to Belgrade. Rare military censor mark.

Two-line Bosanska Gradiška military censor mark

Вој. цензура

Бос. Градишка

1943 ŠIBENIK, Inverted overprint

Why is 1943 Šibenik inverted overprint so rare? When using the printing machine a whole sheet is overprinted at once, hence one mistakenly inverted sheet results in many (usually 100) inverted stamps. On the other hand, printing by the hand allows that each inverted overprint is noticed and corrected immediately, so the next hit is already the correct one.

1943 Šibenik local provisional issue, 1 lire air mail stamp with inverted overprint. Certificate Zrinjšćak, Marinšek. This is one of the two inverted overprints I have ever seen.

1945 LJUBLJANA, Payment order

I found an interesting document that shows the continuity of the civil authorities after the liberation. A payment order to the Social Insurance Office of Ljubljana Province for employees in the period between 1st and 8th of May (so, just before the end of the German occupation!) was paid on 19th of June under the new government.

1945 Ljubljana, local provisional issue, payment order to the Social Insurance Office of Ljubljana Province, filed 15th of June, paid 19th of June and confirmed on 25.VI.45.

50 cents offset fee paid on 19.VI.45.
Illegible cancellation at which date is seen only after some hue/saturation calibration.

1943 ŠIBENIK, Largest known set

I managed to gather a set of 29 stamps out of 32. I am missing the following values:

• No. 9   - 1 Lire (the existence of this value is questionable)
• No. 14 - 10 Lire
• No. 17 - 30 cent. (war propaganda stamp with the airplane)

1943 Šibenik local provisional issue with N.D. / H. hand overprint. 29 values out of 32. Certificates Zrinjšćak, Ercegović, Marinšek. This is the largest set known to me.

1945 SARAJEVO, Railway cancellation

Quite a lot of 1945 Sarajevo stationery postcards were preserved. Most of them are common, but from time to time you can still find one with some kind of specialty - like stationery with a rare railway cancellation.

1945 Sarajevo local provisional issue, stationery type Ia, sent to Zemun (12.X.1945). Rare railway cancellation 108 Tuzla - Doboj.

1944 SENTA, Proof sheet

From my article (see here): The overprinting was done in letterpress technique with a small, manually operated, printing machine called “Trigerica”. Five-pointed stars were cut out from the linoleum strip in horizontal setting (10x1) while inscriptions were composed of the lead letters. Overprints were done row by row, all five rows until complete half-sheet of 50 was overprinted. For some values - "Famous women" and Porto - smaller pieces were used. Overprints were done in multiple phases: first five-pointed star in red color and then on top of it text in black color.

1944 Senta local provisional issue, proof sheet. Certificate Veličković. Very rare.

Since stars were carved in linoleum strip by hand, they are not of ideal form nor are identical to each other. The first star is different from the second, the second from the third and so on. Also, note that the relative position between star and text is not constant and that each phase of each row has its own shift and rotation.

1945 ZAGREB, Late usage

Zagreb provisional issue has been in use for only six days, from 25th to 30th of Jun 1945. It is known that usage was tolerated for additional ten days, but only for official use.

1945 Zagreb provisional issue, stationery sent from Valpovo (12.VII.45) to Ljubljana. The stationery was not accepted for postage, so 1 Din was accounted for in cache and marked accordingly by rubber stamp. Very rare example of non official use after the expiry of postal validity.

1945 SPLIT, Overprint on partly printed stamp

Check out this attractive error...

1945 Split local provisional issue, No. 7 on pelure paper, 20 kn / 3.50 kn, block of four (positions 9-10 / 19-20) with exceptionally rare and attractive error of overprint on partly printed base stamp.

There is no print on the backside, so this is not a classic paper foldover error. Therefore, I assume that a piece of trash paper accidentally came in between the sheet and the printing plate. Such items are rare because they should passed two inspections: first after the base print and second, four years later, after the overprint.

A possible situation...

1945 DB Laibach, Famous Slovenians

The series depicts six famous Slovenians (click on name):

Simon Gregorčič, Janez Vajkard Valvasor, Primož Trubar

Ivan Tavčar, Ivan Cankar, Anton Martin Slomšek

1945 German occupation of Laibach, unreleased issue, complete sheet in red-brown color. Certificate France, FES.

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 SPLIT, Unique AR letter

At that time, a mail with advice of receipt (AR) was not on the list of the available post office services, and therefore has not been used. The only known exception was shown at the Croatica 2015 exhibition as a part of the Greatest Rarities of Croatian Philately display.

1945 Split local provisional issue, registered letter with advice of receipt (marked with hand as "Povratnica"), properly franked with 60kn (20kn for letter, 30kn for registration and 10kn for the advice of receipt), sent from Dubrovnik (2.VI.45) to Osijek. The only known AR letter using stamps of Split provisional issue.

43 days delivery

Strange but true - it took 43 days for delivery of the registered and priority letter from the USA to Slovenia :(

It looks like something went wrong at Isc New York (USPS).