Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes: definitive issues, King facing to the left

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The first definitive issue, regent Aleksander I and King Peter I.

Printed quantities of 5 para stamp designed by Mr. Peroš were used for provisional issue of postage dues.

On 16 January 1921, the first general issue of definitive stamps for the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was issued. They replaced provisional regional issues for Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as issues for the Kingdom of Serbia. Officially the mentioned provisional issues were in use until 15 April 1921 but in practice, they were postally used well in the year 1922. Stamps were printed in line engraving by American Bank Note Co. and issued in panes of 100.

The process of preparing a general definitive issue started already in April 1919 when the competent Ministry issued a tender for design. Works of Mr. Marko Peroš from Zagreb were adopted and large quantities of 5 para stamps were printed. Due to poor quality of work, the whole issue was rejected and the printed stock was later used for the first provisional issue of postage dues.

Stamps of the first general issue were in use until 31 October 1928. The unsold stock was sold at an auction.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
A. Paper crease
B.1 Paper fold during the printing process
B.2 Paper fold during gum application process
B.3 Paper fold during perforation process
C.1 Perforation error: perforation omission
C.2 Perforation error: horizontal perforation shift
C.3 Perforation error: vertical perforation shift
C.4 Perforation error: double perforation
D. Offset
E. Mirror impression on sheet frame
F. Probably foreign objects on the printing plate

SPECIAL USAGE
1	As postage dues.

SPECIMEN STAMPS

Cinderella issue for the 2nd Sokol games in Osijek

During the Sokol games on 28 June 1921 in Osijek, the organizing committee issued commemorative labels in colors of 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.25, 0.50, and 1 dinar stamp to be used with these values. Two types of labels were printed, in Latin and Cyrillic script:

• II. POKRAJINSKI SLET JUGOSLAVENSKOG SOKOLSKOG SAVEZA OSIJEK VIDOVDAN 1921.
• II. ПОКРАЈИНСКИ СЛЕТ ЈУГОСЛАВЕНСКОГ СОКОЛСКОГ САВЕЗА ОСИЈЕК ВИДОВДАН 1921.

The labels were canceled by a commemorative postmark in red color.

TYPES
I, II		Thick and thin inscriptions, especially words ЈУГОСЛАВЕНСКОГ СОКОЛСКОГ САВЕЗА and ВИДОВДАН.

CONSTANT VARIETIES
A. Cyrillic inscription
I		Letter E in ОСИЈЕК prolonged at the bottom.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
II		Letter C in ОСИЈЕК is prolonged at the bottom and looks like G.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
III, IV		Dots on the inner border.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
V		Letter E in ОСИЈЕК prolonged at the bottom, letters K and И in ПОКРАЈИНСКИ connected by a thin line, letter C in СЛЕТ thick at the top.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
VI		The second letter B in ВИДОВДАН with a dot at the bottom.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
VII		Letter И in ОСИЈЕК white.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
VIII		The second letter K in СОКОЛСКОГ with an acute accent.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
IX		Word ОСИЈЕК deformed.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
X		Dots around letters E and T in СЛЕТ.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: Another example
		Value €: 3
XI		Horizontal line of numeral 2 in 1921 short.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XII		Letters П and О in ПОКРАЈИНСКИ connected by a thin line.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XIII		Numeral 2 in 1921 with a short vertical line at the end of the horizontal stroke.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XIV		Dot at top of letter И in ВИДОВДАН.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XV		A dot above the letter И in ОСИЈЕК, letter K in ОСИЈЕК white, letters Д and О in ВИДОВДАН connected by a line.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XVI		The first vertical line of the second letter И in ПОКРАЈИНСКИ longer at the top.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XVII		White dot below letter И in ВИДОВДАН.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XVIII		The first Roman numeral I with a dot on top, looks like 1.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XIX		A white line below the letter Ј in ЈУГОСЛАВЕНСКОГ.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XX		A white dot on the letter E in ЈУГОСЛАВЕНСКОГ, acute accent on the letter O in ВИДОВДАН.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
XXI		Letters О and С in ОСИЈЕК connected by a thin line.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
B. Latin inscription
I		Letter G in SOKOLSKOG is enclosed and looks like 8.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
II		Letters I, J, and E in OSIJEK are connected at the top by a thick line.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
III		A white line at the top of the letter N in POKRAJINSKI.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
IV		Thin line below letter S in SLET.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3
V		Letter V in JUGOSLAVENSKOG is prolonged at the bottom.
		Field №: ?	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: another example.
		Value €: 3

OTHER VARIETIES
A.		Printing guidelines and border markings often interfere with the design.

The second definitive issue, King Alexander I.

Printed by American Bank Note Co. in line engraving. Issued in panes of 100 stamps.

UNLISTED VARIETIES
1 din, brown
1	Inscription КРАЉЕВИНА between ornaments.

SPECIMEN STAMPS

Provisional issue of 1924

TYPES
5 din on 8 din
Type I	Type II	Type I: the horizontal stroke of the numeral 5 straight. Type II: the horizontal stroke of the numeral 5 twisted upwards.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
20 para on 60 para
1	Offset
2	Double overprint.

The third definitive issue, King Alexander I.

As the stock of stamps printed in 1921 was getting low, the printing of new stamps was ordered. Stamps of the second definitive issue were printed by Thomas de la Rue et Co. from London in line engraving. Panes consisted of 100 stamps (10×10). Release dates:

• on 9 March 1924 values of 20 para, 1, 3, 5, 10, and 30 dinara,
• on 26 June 1924 values of 50 para, 2, 15, and 20 dinara.

Stamps were valid until 31 December 1928. Unsold stamps were available to collectors between 15 November 1933 and 14 December 1934. The unsold stock was destroyed in May 1935.

UNLISTED VARIETIES
1 din
1	Large colored dot on the frame left from the letter C in СРБА.
2	Small colored dot on the frame, left from the letter C in СРБА.
3	The last letter A in KRALJEVINA is broken.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1	Foreign particles on paper.
2	Shifted perforation.

TRIAL COLOR PRINTS
20 para

Provisional issue of 1925

The provisional issue was released on 5 June 1925 and it consisted of two values, both on a 3 din basic stamp: 25 and 50 para. Overprinting was done by State Printing Works on panes delivered by Thomas De La Rue et Co. Delivered stamps came in panes of 100 and 50 stamps, the latter derived from printer’s waste (the defective parts were removed and the remaining 50 stamps were delivered).

A full stock of panes of 50 was used for 25 para stamp. For this undertaking two forms of overprints had to be made: 5×10 and 10×5. Panes of 100 were overprinted with a third form.

Unsold stamps were available to collectors between 15 November 1933 and 14 December 1934. The unsold stock was destroyed in May 1935.

CONSTANT VARIETIES
25 para on 3 din, ultramarine
I		Number 5 with the flag slightly shifted upwards.
		Field №: 1, 3, 5, 94, 96, 98, 99, 100	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: 3,75
50 para on 3 din, ultramarine
I		Number 5 with the flag slightly shifted upwards.
		Field №: 90	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: 5,25
II		Small Cyrillic letter P (П).
		Field №: 91	Pane: N/A
		Other nomenclatures: –
		Notes: –
		Value €: 20

UNLISTED VARIETIES
50 para on 3 din, ultramarine
1	Zero in overprint deformed.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1	Paper crease
2	Printer’s block
3	Offset
4	Shifted overprint

 

References

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Bibliography

1. Novak, Dragan: Priručnik maraka jugoslovenskih zemalja (1948), Tome 8, Filatelistički savez Hrvatske (Zagreb)
2. Novak, Dragan: Priručnik maraka jugoslovenskih zemalja (1951), Tome 9, Filatelistički savez Hrvatske (Zagreb)
3. Katalog poštanskih maraka jugoslovenskih zemalja (1991), Jugomarka (Belgrade), YU ISSN 0351-4447

Contributors
Some of the images on this page were contributed by mag. Boštjan Petauer FRPSL.