Varieties of Croatian Military Postal Service Stamps
Croatian military postal service was founded in August 1944. In the decree which was published in the circular for postal employees in PBB Vijestnik 1944, Nr. 16 (extract published by Žiberna, 2011: 84-85) it was stated that special stamps would be used for sending parcels from home to the front. Soldiers would send these stamps to the people they wanted to receive packages from.
From the beginning the military postal stamps were endowed in mystery as the public was never informed about their issue. Philatelic societies and stamp dealers couldn’t obtain any valid information from the authorities and as a result these issues were disputed for a long time.
On top, the actual usage of these stamps on parcels was not recorded and no such material is known to exist. According to the (unverified) rumors the stamp for parcels up to 2 kg was sold in the post office Zagreb 6 on the 24th of March and stamped with German military seal.
1945, January. Stamps for parcels of up to 2 kg.
Designed by unknown artist, printed in offset in Državna tiskara in Zagreb (?). Paper white, gum white. Perforation 10 – 10¼. Printed in sheets of 45 (9 x 5). The stamps appeared on philatelic market in April 1945.
Stamps printed: 2.000.000 (disputed)
The postal office employee, receiving the package, would write the parcel number (in the field titled BR.) and weight (in the field titled GRAMA) and put a clear cachet over the stamps with city and date of reception.
| CONSTANT VARIETIES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| I |  |
Black dot below letter B in BOJNO | |
| Field №: 5 | Pane: Pane A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| II |  |
Broken frame above letters K and A in POŠTANSKA | |
| Field №: 10 | Pane: Pane A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| III |  |
Red smudge in the center field of the coat of arms | |
| Field №: 28 | Pane: Pane A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 50 | |||
| IV |  |
Black frame below second letter A in GRAMA broken. | |
| Field №: 41 | Pane: Pane B | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| V |  |
Top right frame interrupted at top. | |
| Field №: 6 | Pane: Pane B | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| VI |  |
Thin curved line below letter P in NALJEPNICA (“Musical note” flaw.) | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 50 | |||
| VII |  |
Black frame left from BR. interrupted. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| VIII |  |
Line separating BR. and GRAMA sections interrupted. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| POSSIBLE CONSTANT VARIETIES (unconfirmed) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black dot above letter M. |  |
| 2 | Second letter A in GRAMA damaged. |  |
| COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gone trough paper print of black phase. |  |
1945. Stamps for parcels of up to 5 kg.
Designed by Volođa Košiša, printed in offset, perforation line 12.
| CONSTANT VARIETIES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| I |  |
Letter L in JABLANICA shorter at top. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| II | Stones on the hill. | ||
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| III |  |
Letter T in NERETVA and frame below it damaged. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 37,5 | |||
| IV |  |
Colored dot on initials KV, look like XV. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| V |  |
Letter N in N.D. cracked. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 50 | |||
| VI |  |
Loop of letter P in POŠTA indented at bottom. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 50 | |||
| VII |  |
Frame below letters AB in JABLANICA damaged. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| VIII |  |
Dark spot below letters NE in NERETVA. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| IX |  |
Big black dot on the rock above letters VA in NERETVA. | |
| Field №: ? | Pane: N/A | ||
| Other nomenclatures: – | |||
| Notes: – | |||
| Value €: 15 | |||
| UNLISTED VARIETIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perforation error: narrow and wide stamp. |  |
Bibliography
- Ercegović, Velimir (1995): HRVATSKA FILATELIJA – Od predfilatelije do maraka Republike Hrvatske, Agencija za komercijalnu djelatnost, Zagreb ISBN-13: 978-9539641915
- Katalog poštanskih maraka jugoslovenskih zemalja (1991), Jugomarka (Belgrade). YU ISSN 0351-4447
- Žiberna, Vid: Ali se Ercegović moti? Vojno-poštna nalepka Nezavisne države Hrvatske. Filatelistični zbornik XXI/2011, Filatelistično društvo Ljubljana. ISSN 0352-4175
