Serbia's "Death Mask" Stamps, A Tale Around The Campfire

I was perusing Keijo's blog (http://www.stampcollectingblog.com/),and a reader and Keijo mentioned the "Death Mask " stamps of Serbia.

Curious, I checked my Serbia, and I do have the stamps.

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So gather around stamp collecting boys and girls, and let me tell you a tale.....

(Scene- a crackling campfire, surrounded by the woods, late evening just before getting in the tents and sleeping bags)

On this certain dark night of June 10,1903 of the Gregorian calendar, King Alexander I and Queen Draga of Serbia were ruthlessly assassinated by a group of Army Officers.

Would you like to see how the young King Alexander looked like?



King Alexander 1894-96 Scott 41 10p carmine rose


Opening the gates at 2:00 AM, they searched the palace where they discovered the royal couple hiding inside a wardrobe cupboard. They shot them in the early morning hours of June 11,1903, then threw their bodies out the second story window of the palace.

The king was 26 years old, and this was the end of the House of Obrenovic, which had ruled Serbia for 50 years.


After the deed was done, the stamp issue about to be released was overprinted with the Arms of Serbia on the ill fated Head of King Alexander.



1903-04 Scott 70 10p carmine & black


Now you ask boys and girls why this conspiracy was carried out?


Because the throne now passed to the rival House of Karageorgevich.
Peter Karageorgevich ascended the throne as Peter I.


Stamps were issued with the image of Karageorge 1752-1817 (The founder of modern Serbia), and King Peter I.


Would you like to see the stamp?



1904 Scott 81 15p red violet "Karageorge and Peter I"


They celebrated the coronation of King Peter, and the Centenary of the House of Karageorgevich.


But would there be a cry from beyond?

Would the deed go unpunished?




1904 25p blue


Wait!... an image-.. if the stamps are turned on their head. Look attentively without focusing on details, boys and girls, at the two noses, the chin, and the hair on the right side of the upsidedown double portrait.

Do you see what I see?


You want a closer look?





A face- an image - a cry from the grave..





The very image of King Alexander...





May He rest in peace.

That one rates very high on the hidden images stamps
Great presentation to boot. Thanks for sharing, I liked it.

Thanks 1775mac.

Reading about the brutal details of the assassination ( I left out the gory parts) was sobering. Then to find the stamps in my collection, when I had no previous knowledge about their significance- well, no wonder why I love classical era collecting!

Hello friends!

Here a brief story:



Regards,
Rodolfo

Thanks Roldofo for "most interesting stamp stories" - entertaining indeed.

I learned a few tidbits including the Queen was 10 years older than young King Alexander.

Jkjblue you are great story teller. Im glad that many world stamp collectors are interested in Serbian stamps and Serbian history. I can post later some clasic Serbian stamps from my collection if like to see.
Here are some I allready posted:
https://goscf.com/t/23050

Mvojnovic-that would be great! To keep the theme of this thread, please post stamp images of King Alexander, King Peter and Karageorge, and perhaps more history of the era from your perspective.

Ok, I can post some stamps from my collection but in few days because Im not home. Now I can find some links on that subject. If you are interested in Aleksandar Obrenovic and his assassination there is relatively good tv series -End of Obrenovic dynasty- (Kraj dinastije Obrenovic) but Im not sure if there is version with English subtitles.
Here is the link for first episode on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWylmvWdMNY

Here is stamp with king Milan Obrenovic, father of Aleksandar
http://static.limundoslike.com/orig...-7772588.jpg

Here is stamp with king Petar I Karadjordjevic, he succeed Aleksandar
http://static.limundoslike.com/orig...-7720872.jpg

The stamps you posted with death mask are 8 in set. Michel 76-83.

Here is more stamps of king Aleksandar:
https://goscf.com/t/18223

Nice selection mvojnovic.

It is getting close to the Eve of All Hallows...

Time to revive this entry.

I also have the tale story for my latest post.

http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.co...for-eve.html

You might want to see how well the others did. This is not a selective list; this is ALL the rulers of Serbia (and subsequently SHS/Yugoslavia) from independence in 1804 until the end of WW2. If you wanted to put in images of all those who might feel justified in haunting, you'd need the world's first A5 sized postage stamp:

Karageorge Petrovic deposed. Subsequently assassinated.
Milos Obrenovic abdicated.
Milan Obrenovic ruled for a month; was probably already in a coma when he came to the throne and remained unconscious throughout his reign
Mihailo Obrenovic deposed
Alexander Karageorgevic deposed
Milos Obrenovic back again - this time died of old age
Mihailo Obrenovic back again - this time assassinated
King Milan I abdicated
Aleksander I assassinated
Petar I Karageorgevic technically died in office but had long since given up ruling power to his son.
Aleksander Karageorgevic of Yugoslavia assassinated
Petar II Karageorgevic forced into exile and subsequently deposed.

Thanks for the gruesome history lesson.

It appears Serbia and SHS/Yugoslavia are not healthy places to rule.

Do any of them have a haunting image when a subsequent issue is examined?


King Alexander Death Mask

Welcome to the Eve of All Hallows.....

Is the pumpkin carved?