I tried to identify and verify the information on this numbered set of stamps. I could find no complete sets on the sheet like this one online. I did find reference to them in one chat room where someone had mentioned the claim that these stamps had any value was a load of nonsence. Can anyone advise if these are worth hanging onto or not?

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re: Yugoslavia Numbered set 1945

Thanks for your input and for the place where I can find these. This will help a lot. I am not really asking a monetary value. I am trying to sort out a very diverse stamp collection and am new to this. If there is anything worth hanging onto I would like to keep it so I can pass this collection on to my Grandson. However it would be very costly to send off a huge collection to France where he lives so I really don't wish to fill up boxes with anything that is not collectable as such, or which is not worth hanging onto. I appreciate that this is not a place to ask monetary values.

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re: Yugoslavia Numbered set 1945

Are you sitting comfortably?

In 1941, in the face of the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia, King Petar, his Prime Minister Subacic, and several of his ministers and wealthy supporters, fled Yugoslavia and with the approval of the British government set up a Government in Exile in London.

A number of Yugoslav sailors joined the British Merchant Navy to allow British sailors to go into military service. The GiE produced a few stamps, including the (unoverprinted) Patriot series, which could be used by these seamen. These were essentially propaganda to promote the GiE; but the British Government allowed them postal validity (below - the cancel reads 'Post of the Merchant Navy of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia'; this one is essentially philatelic, as nearly all were.)

Meanwhile, back in Yugoslavia the King's supporters who had remained behind to fight in the resistance, the Chetniks, were losing popularity both at home and amongst the Allies, compared to the Partisans. The Chetniks were very Serb-oriented, militarily inept and in many cases deeply corrupt. When the Allies discovered the Chetniks were selling to the enemy the weapons they were being sent, they transferred most of their support to the republican Partisans.

In Oct 1944 Tito's Partisans recaptured Belgrade and it was decided to set up a coalition government from scratch in Yugoslavia rather than calling back the GiE to rule. The GiE split over this. Subacic and some of the moderates returned to Yugoslavia and were given seats in the coalition, leaving behind the King and the extreme right wing of his supporters who refused to participate - and also leaving behind the remaining supply of the stamps.

In 1945 the rump of the GiE overprinted the remaining stamps. There were 3 sets issued:
1) the set you have - 1945
2) an airmail set with 1945 and a black or red aeroplane (below)
3) a de luxe airmail set with 1945 and a gold aeroplane.

These probably served both a fund-raising purpose and a propaganda one. In the West we tend to think of 1945 as Victory in the War year; but in Yugoslavia they tend to concentrate on 1944 - Liberation of Yugoslavia. In my opinion the significance of 1945 here is that in Nov 1945 the country became a republic instead of a monarchy. I think the 1945 issues were the King saying 'Hey, folks. I'm still here, you know!'

I have no doubt that like most GiEs they announced at the time of issue that just as soon as they regained power the stamps would be valid. Of course, it never happened.

The gold aircraft are genuinely scare. I wouldn't be surprised at a set of those going for £100. The rest are worth very little in money. But as a story for your grandson ....?

 
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cdj1122

re: Yugoslavia Numbered set 1945

My dated Minkus catalog, which often lists strange items not found in Scott, lists the basic set and explains about the London "Government in exile.
As ton the overprints of a plane in the UL corner or the "1945" date that are on the scan shown above and states that they were never issued.It also mentions that there was a souvenir sheet of #s 602 to 607. All had a marginal catalog listing then.

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cardstamp

17 Mar 2017
01:07:49pm

re: Yugoslavia Numbered set 1945

I hate to re-open a very very old discussion but I was doing an internet google search on these stamps and I was surprised that this post came up in my search results. I recently started breaking down an old Yugoslavia collection and although I have seen the stamps with the back and red plane overprint - I had never seen the gold ones before. I found someone selling this set on EBAY for $220.00 and I have no idea if that is reasonable. Do any of the catalogs other than Scott give any idea of the catalog value for this set ? I am not sure what I am going to do with them - they certainly can not go into an approval book I am putting together for Yugoslavia. Thanks, Steve

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cardstamp

17 Mar 2017
05:57:36pm

re: Yugoslavia Numbered set 1945

Thanks for the Ebay Information. As I said I saw someone currently selling a set of singles for $220.00 - So if these blocks of 4 sold for $195.00 then I would say the $220 is overpriced. The ones I have are "Mint Hinged" - so that in itself lowers the value. I may try an auction here first before trying Ebay or Hipstamp - although I doubt they would sell here. I almost thru them into an approval book - that would have been a mistake !
Steve

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cdj1122

re: Yugoslavia Numbered set 1945

" ... two sets available (in club meeting),
and asked price was full Michel catalog + 20% premium. ..."

That begs the questions;
"What is, or was, the Michel catalog price."
and,
"Did either one sell ?"

 
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