What Happened In Yugoslavia 8/3/42?

... Or if you insist on being American 3/8/42.

This commemorates the 16th (?!) anniversary of whatever it was. It is not listed as a postal in Malenkovic nor as a charity issue in Milanovic, so I assume it is a wholly unofficial label. Very professionally produced though:



I am aware that in the spring of 1942 the Nazis exterminated most of the remaining Jews in Belgrade. That would fit the sculpture on the stamp; but I can't tie anything exactly to March the 8th.

I assume (though it may just be an illustration) that the statue exists in reality (perhaps set up in 1958, which would explain the peculiar 16thness of the anniversary).

I would be grateful for any information on exactly what happened on 8th of March 1942, the production and purpose of the stamp, and the source of the illustration.

On reading this I myself have to do more research on this topic, I have included this topic in things to do.

As the label is inscribed in latin and cyrillic, I am assuming it commemorates something of national rather than local significance. The date falls between the first and second offensive by the Nazi's against patriotic Yugoslav forces and so is unlikely to commemorate a battle. As the theme of the label appears to be a mother protecting her children, it may relate to the setting up of some defence group or Partizan brigade. I think this was a common cause for celebration at the time.

not sure of the significance of the 1942-58 dates, but the issue itself was made for Womens Day (March 8).

From 1941 until 1945 Yugoslavia ceased to exist as a stamp issuing entity,
except for SG Catalogue numbers 468 to 481
(which we discussed recently re the plane opts)
which were issued by the exiled government for use of the Yugoslav Merchant Navy, working with the Allies.

Thanks everyone - but especially Kuhli: I think you've given me the idea that cracks it.

The Antifasisticki Front Zena (Women's Front Against Fascism - there was a separate one for each area: Macedonia, Serbia etc) held its first National Congress in December 1942. But it wasn't a Congress to found it: it already existed, and so must have been founded earlier in 1942. What date could the KPJ possibly have chosen for founding a women's organization other than 8th March, which had been celebrated as International Women's Day by all parties in the Third International since the women's demonstration in St Petersburg 1917.

So we're looking at a label to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the founding of the AFZ. I'd bet 100 million 1993 dinars on it!

Thanks again.

Rod222:



Wahay! I only paid 1 euro for mine.

Nice to have a win huh! :)

I used to collect cinderellas because they were snubbed
by the elite, they were cheap and unloved.

Not so anymore, you need an oilfield.

In the days before the Internet, when dealers were people who slogged from fair to fair with boxes and suitcases, they often went for months without meeting anyone who collected Xland postals, never mind Xland cinderellas. So, when they did, they were generally happy to unload them for what they could get. Now that every Xland cinderella collector this side of Mars is a potential customer they are more circumspect.

I remember in the old days, when the Koepell and Manners Indian States Fiscal catalogue was about to come out, dealers who had given the stuff away for pennies for years started to get terrified that when the catalogue appeared they would be shown to have given away bargains; so they yanked up the prices of even the commonest rubbish. Indeed I know at least one dealer who refused to sell any of his at any price until the catalogue came out.

I think we now see a similar terror amongst dealers of giving away a bargain. There is no catalogue of cinderellas so we can't prove to them that stamp A is rare and stamp B is common as muck; but ebay is their catalogue and they live in terror of opening it one day and seeing a stamp they sold cheaply last month on sale for five times the price. So they put an inflated price on theirs 'just in case'.

Which on the 21st of December 1993 would have enabled you to post no fewer than 5 postcards; but which on Christmas Day, 4 days later, would have been insufficient to post even one.

The hyperinflation surely produced some interesting items! This was posted to me at 3pm on 25th November 1993 with a total franking of 375,000 dinars (211,600 in stamps and 163,340 on a postage label). The letter should have been charged at 5,620,000 dinars as the postage rate increased the same morning, but wasn't applied by the postal clerk. The sender thus saved himself 5,245,000 dinars!

Great item. Thanks for showing it.

I hate to be the one that pours cold water on an equally great story, but according to Sharp & Velickovic the postal rate changes in Nov 1993 were on the eleventh and the twenty SIXTH which would have been the following day.

Ooops, slip of the finger! The Belgrade postmark is 26th November not 25th as I stated.

Great! Story rehabilitated!