Postage stamps 1914–1918

Bosnia and Herzegovina · The war years · 104 stamps

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1914

1914 No.32 & 34 Surcharged & Overprinted

Issued: 1. November
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

Bosnia's first war-charity stamps came out on 1 November 1914: the 5 and 10 heller landscapes of 1906 were overprinted in red with the year 1914 and new values of 7 and 12 heller.

Postage stayed at 5 and 10 heller; the extra 2 heller went to charity. In the same way the Franz Joseph stamps of 1912 were overprinted in 1915 and 1916 – with the year in question, in red or blue.

Sources: World Stamps Project: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1879–1918, Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina

SW	Type	Value	Colour
89	ABS	7/5 H	dark green
90	ABS1	12/10 H	carmine
89‑90			Set

1915

1915 As Previous - Different Overprint

Issued: 10. July
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

SW	Type	Value	Colour	Description
91	ABT	7/5 H	dark green
91A*	ABT1	7/5 H	dark green	Perf: 9
92	ABT2	12/10 H	carmine
91‑92				Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1915 No.67 & 69 Surcharged and Overprinted

Issued: 1. December
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

SW	Type	Value	Colour
93	ABU	7/5 H	green
94	ABU1	12/10 H	carmine
93‑94			Set

1916

1916 As Previous - "1916" in Overprint

Issued: 1. February
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

SW	Type	Value	Colour
95	ABV	7/5 H	green
96	ABV1	12/10 H	green
95‑96			Set

1916 Charity Stamps - White Numerals. See also No.142-143

Issued: 10. July
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

The two charity stamps of 1916 show a blind soldier and a wounded soldier; the 2-heller surcharge went to disabled servicemen. The engraved stamps were designed by Alfred Cossmann.

In 1918 the same designs appeared again, valued 10+2 and 15+2 heller and with coloured instead of white numerals.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Big Blue 1840-1940: Bosnia & Herzegovina – a closer look

SW	Type	Value	Colour
97	ABW	5+2 H	light green
98	ABX	10+2 H	purple red
97‑98			Set

1916 Franz Joseph I

Issued: October
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

In October 1916 Bosnia received a new set with the portrait of Franz Joseph – 18 values from 3 heller to 10 kronen. The old emperor survived its issue by only a few weeks: he died on 21 November 1916 after almost 68 years on the throne.

As early as July 1917 it was replaced by a set showing his successor, Karl I.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wikipedia: Franz Joseph I of Austria

SW	Type	Value	Colour	Description
99	ABY	3 H	black
100	ABY1	5 H	olive green
101	ABY2	6 H	violet
102	ABY3	10 H	olive brown
102a*	ABY4	10 H	yellowish carmine
103	ABY5	12 H	bluish grey
104	ABY6	15 H	dull carmine
105	ABY7	20 H	light brown
106	ABY8	25 H	blue
107	ABY9	30 H	green
108	ABY10	40 H	brick-red
109	ABY11	50 H	dark green
110	ABY12	60 H	reddish purple
111	ABY13	80 H	reddish brown
111A*	ABY14	80 H	reddish brown	Perf: 11½
112	ABY15	90 H	purple
112A*	ABY16	90 H	purple	Perf: 11½
113	ABZ	2 K	brownish red
114	ABZ1	3 K	green
115	ABZ2	4 K	carmine
116	ABZ3	10 K	violet
99‑116				Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1916 Express Stamps

Issued: 25. October
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

In 1916 Bosnia issued two special-handling stamps – 2 and 5 heller – inscribed MILITÄRPOST / EILMARKE. Austria introduced such stamps the same year; there they were triangular and paid for priority handling of printed matter.

Sources

Sources: Stamp Encyclopedia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues, Wikipedia (de): Eilmarke

SW	Type	Value	Colour	Description
117	ACA	2 H	reddish orange
117A*	ACA1	2 H	reddish orange	Perf: 11½ x 12½
118	ACA2	5 H	olive green
118A*	ACA3	5 H	olive green	Perf: 11½
117‑118				Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1917

1917 No.102 & 104 Overprinted

Issued: 9. May
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

In May 1917 the 10 and 15 heller Franz Joseph stamps of 1916 were overprinted with a 2-heller surcharge. They were issued for the 'Week of the Widows and Orphans', and the surcharge went to them.

Sources

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina

SW	Type	Value	Colour
119	ACB	10+2 H	olive brown
119a*	ACB1	10+2 H	yellowish olive
120	ACB2	15+2 H	dull carmine
119‑120			Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1917 The 3rd Anniversary of the Death of Franz Ferdinand & Princess Sofie

Issued: 28. June
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

The three stamps appeared on 28 June 1917, the third anniversary of the assassination in which Gavrilo Princip shot the heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo.

Besides their portraits they show the design for a memorial church, towards which a 2-heller surcharge on each stamp was paid. The same day a monument to the victims was unveiled by the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo.

Sources: Wikipedia: Monument to Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Stamp Collecting World: Bosnia Herzegovina 1916–1918

SW	Type	Value	Colour	Description
121	ACC	10+2 H	greyish blue
121A*	ACC1	10+2 H	greyish blue	Perf: 11½
122	ACD	15+2 H	purple red
122A*	ACD1	15+2 H	purple red	Perf: 11½
123	ACE	40+2 H	blue
123A*	ACE1	40+2 H	blue	Perf: 11½
121‑123				Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1917 Emperor Karl I

Issued: 1. July
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

Franz Joseph died in November 1916, and in July 1917 Bosnia received a set showing the new emperor, Karl I – values from 3 heller to 10 kronen, inscribed BOSNIEN HERCEGOVINA and K.u.K. MILITÄR POST.

Sources differ on the designer: Wikimedia Commons credits Alfred Cossmann, while the Belvedere catalogue of Koloman Moser's work lists Moser, with Ferdinand Schirnböck as engraver.

It was printed by the Court and State Printing Office in Vienna.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belvedere, Koloman Moser – Werkverzeichnis: Briefmarke Militärpost Bosnien-Herzegowina (Kaiser Karl I.)

SW	Type	Value	Colour
124	ACF	3 H	black
124A*	ACF1	3 H	black
124B*	ACF2	3 H	black
125	ACF3	5 H	yellowish green
126	ACF4	6 H	violet
127	ACF5	10 H	yellowish brown
127A*	ACF6	10 H	yellowish brown
127B*	ACF7	10 H	yellowish brown
128	ACF8	12 H	blue
129	ACF9	15 H	carmine
130	ACF10	20 H	purple brown
131	ACF11	25 H	bluish violet
132	ACF12	30 H	dark green
133	ACF13	40 H	yellowish olive
134	ACF14	50 H	dark green
135	ACF15	60 H	purple red
135A*	ACF16	60 H	purple red
136	ACF17	80 H	bluish grey
137	ACF18	90 H	dark purple
138	ACG	2K	carmine
139	ACG1	3K	green
140	ACG2	4K	carmine
141	ACG3	10K	violet
124‑130			Set
124‑141			Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1918

1918 Charity Stamps - Colored Numerals

Issued: 1. March
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

SW	Type	Value	Colour
142	ABW1	10+2 H	bluish green
143	ABX1	15+2 H	brownish red
142‑143

1918 Emperor Karl I & Zita

Issued: 20. July
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½ x 13

In July 1918 three charity stamps appeared with portraits of Emperor Karl I and Empress Zita and the inscription K u K Militärpost – Karlfonds.

The 10-heller surcharge went to the Karl Fund for victims of the war. They were designed by Alfred Cossmann; the field post issued a similar Karlfonds set the same year.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues

SW	Type	Value	Colour
144	ACH	10+10 H	green
145	ACI	15+10 H	red
146	ACH1	40+10 H	purple violet
144‑146

1918 No.46 & 65 Overprinted "1918" in Red

Issued: 1. September
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

When the fee for postal-stationery cards went up from 8 to 10 heller, the post needed more 2-heller stamps to make up the difference. So from 1 September 1918 it sold two older 2-heller stamps overprinted 1918 in red – the violet from the 1910 jubilee set and the blue Franz Joseph of 1912.

Of the blue one, 300,000 were issued.

Sources: World Stamps Project: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1879–1918

SW	Type	Value	Colour	Description
147	ACJ	2H	violet	No.65
148	ACK	2H	light blue	No.46
147‑148

1918 Not Issues Stamps - Colored Paper

Watermark: None
Perforation: 12½

SW	Type	Value	Colour
149	ACL	2 H	orange
150	ACL1	3 H	dark grey
151	ACL2	5 H	light green
152	ACL3	6 H	bluish green
153	ACL4	10 H	brown
154	ACL5	20 H	brick-red
155	ACL6	25 H	ultramarine
156	ACL7	45 H	blackish grey
157	ACL8	50 H	green
158	ACL9	60 H	bluish violet
159	ACL10	70 H	ochre
160	ACL11	80 H	rose
161	ACL12	90 H	purple brown
162	ACM	1K	olive green
149‑162