1941 MEĐIMURJE, A "dot" overprint flaw

This is a mini-survey: if you collect Međimurje local issue, please see how many stamps do you have with the following overprint flaw: a "dot" in the lower right of the first dark square in the second row of coat-of-arms (see image).

I need a quantities per value for: 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00 and 3.00 Din. For other values, this flaw should not exist. Please reply to alesmarinsek67@gmail.com. 

The "dot" flaw

323rd Special labour battalion

Due to the fear of anti-Italian activities, Italian soldiers of Slovenian and Croatian nationality were transferred to newly established Special labour battalions (IT = Compagnia speciale lavoratori) where they were used as workers and unskilled labour. Later, some confined prisoners, internees and political prisoners were also included in these battalions. They were stationed mostly in southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia as there was considered to be the smallest chance of escape.

Military stationery postcard sent from the 323rd Special labour battalion at Isola Capo Rizzuto, province Catanzaro (30.7.43) to Gorizia.

1945 CETINJE, Star on the left

Large shifts of overprint can create interesting effects ...

1945 Cetinje provisional issue, Mi. No. 1, 1/10 Lire, block of four from position 4,5/9,10 with a large horizontal shift of overprint. Looks like the star is on the left.

1945 MOSTAR, Partial & reverse overprint

Partial overprint and overprint on the reverse are related and usually due to folding over of sheet edges during overprinting. Such errors are attractive and very rare.

1945 Mostar provisional issue, block of four of Ruđer Bošković stamps (Mi. 15) from overprint positions 89, 90, 99, 100 (lower right corner of the sheet). Partial overprint and overprint on reverse due to paper fold. Ex Tiberio. Certificate Vilfan, Marinšek.

Concentration camp Lipari

Lipari is an island northwest of Messina, Sicily. From 1934, the island served as a training site for Ustaša Croats. A concentration camp for civilians was established in October 1941. The capacity was around 350 internees, mostly Croats, Slovenes, Albanians and Montenegrins. The camp operates until July 1943 when internees were transferred to the camps of Coroppoli and Scipione.

Lipari island.

Stationery franked with 80 cent., sent from the concentration camp for civilians Lipari, Messina (13.5.42) to Zagreb, censored by the camp censor.

1945 LJUBLJANA, Cheque from the Kingdom

Today I sorted some of my items based on the classification given in the article "CHEQUE MONEY ORDERS IN THE PROVINCE OF LJUBLJANA 1941-1945" published by Vid Žiberna in "Acta Philatelica Nova 2018". I found one cheque money order form that is not classified in the article ...

 

1945 Ljubljana provisional issue, cheque money order for 1.480,00 Lire payable in the cash, charged a delivery fee with 80 cent., issued in Ljubljana 5.6.45, received in Devica Marija v Polju 6.VI.45, paid out 8.VI.45 and liquidated on 11.VI.1945. The use of old cheque money order forms from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia period was very rare in 1945.

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.

Confinement Padova

Confinement is a way of internment where an individual was forced to stay in a particular place, mostly under the control of the local Police Headquarters (Italian = Questura). 

Typically, confinement postal items were sent by ordinary mail, but in some cases, the mail was travelled directly between two Police Headquarters and dispatched to the postal service at the destination.

Letter, franked with 50 cent., sent from Padova (13.IV.43) directly to the Police Headquarter in Ljubljana, verified by police (cachet R. QUESTURA / LUBIANA, manuscript Verificato and signature), dispatched to the post office Ljubljana 1 where it was censored (censor 14 and 25) and sent to the addressee (19.4.43).

Note: I do not have enough information on confinement and postal usage and I do not know the literature on this field, so I ask all who come to know this to contact me on alesmarinsek67@gmail.com.

Yugoslav army in Austria

Some units of the Yugoslav Army were stationed in the territory of Austria months after the end of the war...

Letter from a soldier of the 36th Division of the 3rd Yugoslav Army sent from the position in Austria (20.VI.45) to Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia (4.VII.45). Censored by the military censor.

In general, soldiers were not allowed to disclose the location of the military unit. In this case, however, it can be seen that the soldier wrote "Austria", and that the censorship did not mask that.

1943 HVAR, Partisan mail

Based on the 1941 Treaty of Rome, Hvar remained integral to the Independent State of Croatia. At the end of 1943, the National Liberation Committee took over the island, which lasted only a short period. On 19 January 1944, the 2nd Battalion of the 738th Regiment of the German 118 Hunting Division descended on Hvar. There is not much information about the postal service operation during that time. Postal items are scarce...

 Letter from the Episcopal Ordinary of the island of Hvar, sent from Hvar (11.XII.43) to Humac Donji, Nerežišće island of Brač, censored by partisans on Hvar. This is the only such letter that I have seen so far.

1945 SPLIT, Rare cancel Tijesno

Tijesno (today Tisno) is a small city located partly on the Tisnjan peninsula and partly on the island of Murter (see on map).

1945 Split provisional issue, a fragment of a letter, sent from Tijesno (7.VI.45), franked with 50kn (20kn for letter and 30kn for registration). Very rare cancel Tijesno.

1941 BANJA LUKA, Unique letter

The stamps were overprinted in 'Jović Printing Works' in Banja Luka on 18.04 or 19.04.1941 and delivered to the post office. They remained on sale until 23.04.1941 by which time the entire stock of 1000 stamps of each value was sold. Formally, the Banja Luka provisional issue was valid until 30.04.1943 and on the entire territory of the Independent State of Croatia. All known postal items, except the one, were sent from Banja Luka...

 

1941 Banja Luka provisional issue, express registered letter, franked with 22.50 kn and 1 din, sent from Zagreb (24.IV.43) to Banja Luka (25.IV.43). The only known express delivery letter and the only letter using the issue posted outside Banja Luka. Certificate Ercegović, Vilfan, Marinšek.

Confinement colony of Pisticci

Pisticci concentration camp was the first Italian confinement colony established as a center of agricultural work (centro di lavoro agricolo). The total capacity was 1000. Internees and detainees were exclusively male, mostly Slovenian and Croatian civilians as well as some Greeks and Poles.

Postcard sent from confinement colony of Pisticci region Matera (28.6.42) to Ljubljana, censored by the administration of the colony. 

1945 LJUBLJANA, An early postcard

After the liberation of Ljubljana in May 1945, all postal traffic was suspended until June 6. Postal items from the first half of June are rare. According to the directive, all shipments in the Ljubljana region should be censored at the post office Ljubljana-1. However, despite the fact that most shipments were from this region, Ljubljana censorship did not work, so censorship was carried out in transit or at the final destination.

1945 Ljubljana, postcard sent from Ljubljana (10.VI.45) to Sviljanac Serbia, free of charge as the sender was a military person, censored in Zagreb. Very early item.

The front side of the postcard - Ljubljana at night.

Concentration camp Melada

Concentration camp Melada was established in the bay of Jaza on the island Melada (today Molat). The camp was in operation from 29 June 1942 to 8 September 1943. Very few postal items are preserved while I saw only one letter...

Letter franked with 50 cent., sent from Oltre / Preko, island of Ugljan (13.3.43) to the concentration camp on island Melada / Molat, censored in Oltre or Zara, returned to Oltre (24.3.43).

Campo di concentramento di Melada.

1943 ŠIBENIK, Unused stationery

Italian stationery with a face value of 15, 30 and 75 cent. were overprinted whereas 50 cent. may have been overprinted, but I have never seen one. The overprint was executed with the same rubber cachet used for the overprinting of stamps. Additionally, single line cachet reading 'NEZAVISNA DRŽAVA HRVATSKA' was struck across the wording 'CARTOLINA POSTALE' and, at an angle, across the slogan 'VINCEREMO'. Pictorial cachet with Croatian coat-of-arms was also applied occasionally but not always across the Italian-coat-of-arms.

The used stationery are very rare, however unused are even rarer. So far I have seen only one unused.

Overprinted stationery of 15 cent. (computer reconstruction).

Overprinted stationery of 30 cent. (computer reconstruction).

Overprinted stationery of 75 cent. This is the only unused stationery I have seen so far. 

1944 SENTA, Block of 10

Complete sheets or multiples with the entire row of ten stamps are not known and most probably does not exist. Even the pieces larger than 2x2 are extremely rare...

1944 Senta local provisional issue, block of ten (5x2), positions B4-8. Unique item showing the process of multiphase overprint - upper row Mi. XIV, lower row Mi. XIII. This is the largest remained piece of Senta issue known to me. 

1945 SARAJEVO, Forerunner

Eastern and Northern part of Bosnia was liberated by Partisans in April 1945. In May and June DFJ stamps in occupation dinars have been used. Postage for military persons (senders or receivers) was free of charge... 

Forerunner of the 1945 Sarajevo provisional issue, picture postcard sent from Sarajevo (16.VI.45) to Pančevo, free of charge as the sender was a military person, censored in Sarajevo by the military censor No. 10. Such postal items are quite rare.

Concentration camp Klos

Concentration camp Klos A n.1 (Albania) operated from summer 1941 to April 1943. The majority of internees were members of the Yugoslav communist party and Montenegrins and Serbian Kosovar Jews...

Registered letter sent from Podgorica (21.VIII.42) to Concentration Camp Klos A n.1., franked with 1,75 Lire, travelled through Cetinje (22.VIII.42) and Shkoder (24.8.42). Censored in transit "VERIFICATO / PER / CENSURA" and at the arrival to the concentration camp "VERIFICATO PER CENSURA / Campo Concentramento A n. 1". Recipient's acknowledgement for money check for 300 lire is handwritten on the cover.

1943/44 ŠIBENIK, Very rare item

Non-local letters franked only with hand overprinted stamps from First Šibenik issue are very rare...

1943 Šibenik local provisional issue, letter franked with 60 cent. and charged with 2 kn war tax, sent from Šibenik (29.VII.44) to Sarajevo. Censored in Sarajevo. Due to military operations and partisan ambushes, the letter most likely travelled with a German military convoy along the route: Sibenik - Split - Mostar - Sarajevo. Certificate Ercegović.

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 Transadriatic mail

Transadriatic mail to foreign destinations is very rare...

 

1945 Transadriatic mail, letter from Grohote, island of Šolta, (14.II.45) to Balcatta, West Australia, in transit through Cairo (2. APR 45). Three times censored: first locally, most probably in Split, then by the Allied Transadriatic Censorship in Bari and in Cairo (M/52). No postage applied since the letter was sent within a free postage period. This is the only recorded letter for Australia.

VP certificate forms

I am impressed with the modern look and advanced security features of VP certificate forms. The most awesome one can be seen under the UV light...

VP certificate form under the ultraviolet light.

Vuk stationery used in Čakovec

Vuk stationeries used outside Serbia, Baranja or Srem are very rare...

1944 DFJ provisional issue, Vuk 2+3 din stationery, sent from Čakovec (2.VIII.45) to Novi Sad (3.VIII.45). Very rare usage in Croatia.

My blog - new visitors

So, let's see how many new visitors I had in 2019...

New visitors - map coverage.

New visitors - top 10 countries.

HNY 2020

Dear Visitor,

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Aleš

1944/45 Serbia, Postcard to Bulgaria

Exceptionally rare use of this issue on foreign mail...

1944/45 provisional issue for Serbia, photo used as a postcard, franked with 5 occupation Din (first tariff period), sent from Belgrade (10.II.45) to Yambol (ЯМБОЛЬ) Bulgaria (17.II.45), censored by the military censor in Belgrade. Mail to Bulgaria was charged at domestic tariff. Exceptionally rare use of this issue on foreign mail.

Barac&Pervan 54th auction

Today in Zagreb... Another quality auction with good results shows a positive trend in philately on the territory of ex Yugoslavia. 

The auction hall was too small for everyone.

Verband Philatelistischer Prüfer e.V.

I became a member of Verband Philatelistischer Prüfer e.V. for the provisional issues of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (Cetinje, Ljubljana, Maribor, Mostar, Murska Sobota, Sarajevo, Senta, Split, Zagreb) and local issues of the Independent State of Croatia (Banja Luka, Dalmatia, Međimurje, Šibenik I & II).

https://www.vpev.de

https://www.facebook.com/verbandspruefer

1945 SPLIT, Postage due

This letter is one of the great rarities...

1945 Split provisional issue, letter sent from Banja Luka to Šibenik (19.V.45), non-franked, censored in Split (CENZURA Br. 3). On arrival marked with T cachet and charged 40kn postage due. Canceled with the old SHS Šibenik C canceller. This is the only known example of using 1945 Split provisional stamps for postage due. Certificate Vilfan.