Postage stamps and postal history of Serbia

First stamp of Serbia 1866

Serbia issued its first stamp in 1866 and continued issuing its stamps till 120 when its postal system was merged with that of the former Austro-Hungarian territories. After the Nazi Germany established Nedić's Serbia in 1941 it issued its own stamps until 1944. Initially, Yugoslavian stamps were simply overprinted in German with the word Serbien. 

 Yugoslavia stamp with overprint Serbien 1941

Later regular issues were inscribed both Serbien and Србија (Serbia). 

Airmail stamp with Serbia overprint - 1942

A 1942 issue reprinted with "Bombardment of City of Nis" in 1943

From 1944 onward, Serbia was part of Yugoslavia. 

First Serbian Stamp issued in 2006 after independance

Upon the dissolution of the union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, Serbia began issuing its own stamps once more. The Post of Serbia issues the country's stamps.

Serbia issued a set of 18 stamps on the eve of FIFA World Cup Football held in South Africa 2010.

The stamp showed flags of all 32 countries that participated in the tournament.

The stamps above showed the national flags of South Africa and Serbia in the background

Postal History/First Serbian stamp courtesy: Wikipedia

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Royal Mail unveils stamps displaying Britain's famous landmarks

Full Story: Daily Mail

Royal Mail is known for its aesthetically composed postage stamps which stand out from the rest. Philatelists around the world are always on the lookout for new issues of the Royal Mail to collect and preserve the beautiful damps of Great Britain. To project its famous landmarks, the Royal Mail has begun an alphabetical collection displaying the famous landmarks spread all over the UK. Like for instance the letter A is the Angel of the North, the Antony Gormley statue in Gateshead. The other stamps include Downing Street, Harlech Castle, Jodrell Bank and many more. A set of first six stamps is as shown above.

The entire range will be a philatelists' pleasure - read Full Story for details

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Stamps of Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

The postal history of Turkey can be divided into two part.  Turkey before  and after 1923. Before 1923, the modern day Turkey  was part of the greater Ottoman Empire, which was tspread from Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania in the west, to Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the borders of Persia in the east. 

The Ottoman Empire installed its postal organization in 1840 and issued its first adhesive on 1^st January 1863.  The horizontal pair of two stamps shown is one of two recorded unused items.

The Duloz Issue 1865

 

The above stamps issued in 1890 were subsequently cancelled

Selimiye Mosque, Adrianople, 1913

Refer to Wikipedia for more details on Ottoman Empire Postage
All stamps courtesy Wikipedia

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Postage Stamps of Monaco - the second page from my collection

I shared the brief postal history of Monaco and the first page of my collection of Monacan stamps awhile ago. Today, I am sharing the second page from collection. These stamps were generally issued in the first half of 1960 and later.

Related: My collection of stamps of Monaco

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The second page of stamps of Spain from my collection

Awhile ago I shared the stamps of Spain from the first page of my stamp album of Spanish stamps. Today I am sharing the second page of Spanish stamps for those who are interested in Spanish stamps. Like the previous stamps, these stamps too are of late 60s and early 70s.

Related: Stamps of Spain from my collection

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My collection of Romanian Stamps

Awhile ago, I posted a collection of stamps from my stamp album which carried some antique paintings. Today I am sharing another page from collection of Romanian stamps as under:

These stamps date back to the 60s and 70s. The Stamps on reptiles above were issued in 1965 and is part of a set of 10 stamps. The other stamps of the set are as under:

Related: Paintings on Romanian stamps

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The short lived stamps of France

 

On 27th of June, the France Post issued two stamps of the denomination of 0.58€ each as above. The stamp on the left above is dedicated to the still functioning steam train of Pignes which celebrates its 100th year of opening and continous operation since 1911. “Chemins de fer de provence” is an old famous railway company of the Southern France that runs a a unique route between Nice and Digne-les-bains. The train is locally referred to as the “train des pignes” (the pine nuts train).

It may be added here for the information that the Railways of Provence, formerly "Railways of the South of France", is made up of three rail networks. One of them, the network of the Alps, was one of the lines between Nice and Digne-les-Bains and was completed in 1911. Now it is the only remained in operation in this region and carries more than 400,000 passengers per year. Its role is twofold: Nice suburban service and tourist transportation in the hinterland by the steam train of Pignes. The line will soon have a new modern railcar.

The stamp on the right is dedicated to its historical heritage - the town of Varengeville-sur-Mer. Varengeville-sur-Mer is located on the Alabaster Coast, near Dieppe. Its church - the Church of St. Valery - originally built in the twelfth century and rebuilt in the sixteenth century, is famous for the architectural qualities, its marine cemetery and its exceptional location, overlooking the sea from cliffs of the Ailly.

Both stamps are priced 0.58€. But what makes them extra ordinary is that their face value was to live for only four days as on 1^st of July 2011, France Post revised its postal rates from 0.58€ to 0.60€ for a standard letter (below 20g). Thus the two stamps issued just four days ago become useless as now an additional 0.02 €  will have to be added when using these stamps.

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Royal Mail’s tribute to Steam Engines of the Yester Years

On 1st February 2011, the Royal Mail of the UK issued a set of four stamps to pay tribute to those rugged, smoky and steamy steam engines of the yester years that once hauled heavy load of bogies across the UK and even in foreign lands. Although, these still continue to ply is some countries, these gave way to the emerging technologies in diesel and electric engines in the 60s.

The stamps measuring 41mm x 30mm on a sheet of 179mm x 74mm were designed by Delaney Design Consultants with a perforation size of 14.5  x 14. The photos of the engines (top row left to right) includes BR Dean Goods No. 2532 and Peckett R2 Thor, while the lower row shows L & YR 1093 No. 1100 and BR WD No. 90662.

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Stamps of Spain from my collection

Located on the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern Europe, Spain or the Kingdom of Spain (official name) is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France.

Spain had a long history of almost 800 years of Moorish Muslim rule which gradually faded and replaced by the Christian kingdoms, finally extinguishing the last Muslim remnant in Granada in 1492, the same year Columbus reached the Americas.

Spain is a democracy organized in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a developed country with the twelfth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and very high living standards (20th highest Human Development Index), including the tenth-highest quality of life index rating in the world, as of 2005. It is a member of the United Nations, European Union, NATO, OECD, and WTO.

The first stamps of Spain were issued on 1 January 1850 and depicted Queen Isabella I. My collection of Spanish stamps has some 100 stamps, some of which are displayed above. I will share the remaining shortly. All stamps date back to the 1970s and before.


Prominent are the stamps with head of Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (1892-1975), simple known as Francisco Franco in the second and the third column from the left which were printed and issued in 1954 onwards. He was the king of Spain from 1936 to 1975 till the time of his death.

Tags: | Europe | 

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Paintings on Romanian stamps

A set of stamps based on paintings from my collection of Romanian stamps. The stamps of       1 6/8", 42 mm x 2 1/8", 53 mm in size were issued somewhere in 1971.

It is said that these stamps were never used in routine post.

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My collection of stamps of Monaco

The postal services in Monaco have said to exist as early as early 18th century. For a brief period, Monaco used stamps of Sardinia from 1851 to 1860. Thereafter French stamps with Monaco or Monte-Carlo overprints were used.

The first indigenous stamps of Monaco were finally issued on Huly 1, 1885 with head of Prince Charles III of Monaco. Prince Rainier III, who himself was an avid stamps and coins collector, showed keen interest in the philatelic services of his country in 1949 as he believed that the stamps were the best ambassador of a country.

Monaco joined the Universal Postal Union in 1955 and Post Europ in 1993.

Seen above is the page from my stamps collection of stamps from Monaco.

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Assorted stamps of UK from my collection

Awhile ago I shared the first page from my stamp collection of UK. Now am sharing the second page, which is generally from the earlier era of Queen Elizabeth. However, in the left columns, the last stamp is that of his father's time. The stamp above it dates back to 1948.

There are also commemorative stamps on the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill and Sherlock Holmes in the second column from the left.

Previous Reference: My collection of stamps of the Great Britain

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My collection of stamps - Czechoslavakia

Awhile ago, I posted the first page of from stamp collection of the erstwhile Czechoslovakia and its postal history. Today I am posting the second page. In time I will post more pages as I have quite a healthy collection of the country that is no more today.

related Link: The stamps and postal history of Czechoslovakia

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My collection of stamps of the Great Britain

The postal history of the Great Britain is the oldest in the world of philately, dating back to 1840. It also established one of the most efficient postal system ever laid out in the world. The Great Britain also introduced the same system in all its colonies and protectorates, where it is still functioning as efficiently as it is in the Great Britain today. It may be mentioned here that the first ever stamp of the South Asia was printed in 1852 from Karachi, Pakistan (then part of the British Empire) and was known as Scinde (Sind) Dawk.

Four major eras of the British postal system can be best described as the Victorian, King George V, King Edward VIII and the present Queen Elizabeth II. The Penny Black series of the Victorian times is the most famous that also includes the world’s first postage stamp in the shape as we know it.

My album starts from the King George V era and the stamps in the left lower column bear the portrait of King George V, issued in 1912s onwards. These are followed by stamps bearing portrait of King George VI, issued in 1930s (stamps in the left column over the King George V stamps and the second column from the left).

The bulk of my stamps are of the King Elizabeth II era, starting from her coronation in 1952 till date. I will continue to share pages from my stamp album of British stamps in days to come. 

Labels: Europe | UK |

Related Links:

The First Stamps

The Scinde Dak

Pakistan Post commemorating the Scinde Dawk centenary 1852-1952

A page from my stamp album - Lundy (UK)

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My collection of Italian stamps

A series of stamps bearing Syracusean coin (above left) were issued from 1953 to 1977 as above. In 1964 on 6^th December, a set of stamps (right above) was issued to celebrate the 6^th Stamp Day and depicted six Italian sports stamps within its own design.

My collection of stamps of Italy contains these two series and many others stamps that were issued in the period 1955-1970 as would be recalled by the collectors. If someone has more details on these stamps, I shall be too grateful and would update this post.


Related Links: 
Europe
My Philatelic World (my previous blog that focused on hobby of philately only)

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The royal wedding stamps

The Britons are once again gearing for a royal wedding on 29^th of April next month – this time it is Prince William who is being married to Kate Middleton. The stamp will be available for sale with effect from 21^st April, eight days prior to the wedding. The issue date of stamps also coincides with the Queen's birthday.

This is the third time that Prince William will be appearing on the UK’s stamps. He earlier appeared on the eve of the Queen Mother's 100th birthday in 2000 and in 2003 when he celebrated his 21^st birthday. He is also the first of the queen’s grandchildren to have a stamp issued on the eve his wedding.

The commemorative stamp sheet consists of two first class stamps and two 1.10 pound stamps, portraying the would-be couple in both formal and informal poses.

Beside the stamps, the Royal Mail will also put to sale a Souvenir Cover for £7.49, Presentation Pack for £3.65, First Day Cover for £4.22, Miniature Sheet for £3.12 and a Coin Cover for £17.50. The Coin Cover that includes a stamp of four stamps and a special coin of £ 5, a unique combination that will add to the interests of both stamp and coin collectors.

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My collection of postage stamps of Hungary

Magyar – the stamps bearing this word are in fact from Hungary. Sometimes it takes the novices and the beginners a little while to decipher the native names into English to know the name of the country. Magyar is actually the name of a tribe that migrated from Asia and settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896 AD. From these, rose the state of Hungary somewhere in 1000 AD, founded by King St Stephen. ungary then became a Central European power under the 300-year rule of the native Árpád Dynasty and subsequent dynasties.

In the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire expanded, Hungary broke into three parts in 1526: Western Hungary ruled by the Austrian House of Habsburg, Transylvania governed by Hungarian princes, and central Hungary came under the Turks. The Turkish occupation lasted until the 17th Century, when the Habsburgs drove out the Turks and claimed all of Hungary. The 150 years of constant wars decimated the native population and the voids were filled by foreign nationalities, creating the polyglot characteristic of Hungary.

The birth of postal services was an outcome of the number of wars fought in the late 19th century to get rid of the yoke of the Austrian power influence. It was the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa who established a regular postal service in Hungary and a military field-post service operated during both wars of independence. The Austrian issues used in Hungary are of great value by the lovers of stamp collection, especially in Hungary even now. In 1867 a compromise was reached with Austria, creating the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy under Emperor Franz Josef. The Hungarian half of the Monarchy organized an independent postal system, which issued its first stamps in 1867. Many Hungarian stamps depict two national symbols – the crown of St. Stephen and the mythical Turul bird. During the WW-I, Hungary side Austria against Russia and Italy. Thus Austrian military-post stamps, and stamps of Bosnia-Herzegovina (occupied in 1878 and annexed by the Monarchy in 1908) provide an interesting connection to Hungarian philately.

After the defeat of Austria in WW-I, Hungary proclaimed itself a republic. All previous stamps were overprinted with “Köztársaság”. The Russian communist influence in Hungary came in March 1919 and the stamps were then overprinted with “Tanácsköztársaság.”

The WW-II, in which Hungary sided with Germany, devastated Hungary, resulting in a rapid deterioration of its currency. Between May 1, 1945 and July 31, 1946, 27 postal rate changes occurred in what is known as the world’s greatest hyperinflation. In 1956, the Hungarians revolted against Soviet domination and the students of Sopron commemorated the event with an overprinted stamp issue. The revolt was brutally crushed and Hungary continued to be solid member of the Warsaw Pact until the disintegration of the Soviet Union’s European Empire in 1989. Hungary is now on its feet as a free country now.

My collections of stamps of Hungary is of the years 1950s till 1960s. The stamps in column 2 and 3 were printed in 1959.

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Postal history of the Netherlands and my collection

The postal history of the Netherlands dates back to 1852 when it issued its first stamp with the head of King William III.  During the Second World War the Netherlands were occupied by Germany. Stamp issues continued and a number of semi-postal stamps were issued. After the WW-II and liberation of the Netherlands on May the 5th 1945, the stamps in use continued till a new series of independent country was issued on 1st April 1946. This series was essential the same stamps that were issued by the Netherlands government in exile from Britain in 1944.

My collection has stamps of period of 1940s and 1950s. Two series are specially visible, one the numerical series and the other carrying the head of Queen Juliana. The numerical stamp series was designed by Jan van Krimpen. I do not have the numerical 1.

The stamps carrying the head of Queen Juliana were first issued in 1953 and continued to be used till 1971.

Related Link: A story of Holland as seen on postage stamps

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Isle of Man honours the Queen

The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The Dependency is headed by the Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann.  For the administration of the isle, the Queen is represented by a Lieutenant Governor.

The island dates back to 6500 BC but it came to limelight in the 5^th century AD when it began to be influenced by Gaelic culture in the AD 5th century. In 1266, the island became part of Scotland. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal over-lordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship re-vested into the British Crown in 1764 but the island never became part of the United Kingdom and retained its status as an internally self-governing jurisdiction.

On 6^th February 2011, the Isle of Man issued a set of six stamps, bearing portrait of the Queen and her husband Prince Phillip to celebrate the sixty years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The stamps show the couple in their various ages right from the time of coronation till date. 

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Stamps of Germany (1919 -1945)

The stamps shown above are the period before 1945, specially under the era of Adolf Hitler. These stamps span over from the early 20th century to the end of WW-II, when the Germany was divided into East and West Germanys. The stamps after the period WW-II will be shared separately. 

The above four stamps were printed (left to right) in 1919 (first semi-postal stamp), 1922 (Deutsches Reich), 1933-34(Paul von Hindenburg ), 1940s (Adolf Hitler).

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